Determinants of Union Organizing Success in Health Care

摘要

Using data from the National Labor Relations Board, the American Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, outcomes of union elections in the health care industry were assessed. Predictors of election outcomes (either a union win or a union loss in the election) were investigated in order to identify the factors that affect union success, defined as a win for the union in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. Union success in organizing employees of hospitals and nursing homes was associated with the type of ownership of the organization, the union involved in the election, and the type of election held. While unionization can have some benefits for an organization, if health care organizations wish to remain non-union in order to manage costs, there are some steps that can be taken that might lessen the likelihood of union success.