Add new comment

If I disagree with Lloyd, its that, while certainly all workers are deserving of unions, the intrinsic strength (due to legal jurisdiction, amount of schooling, and nature of the work) of RNs cannot be found, ever, amongst groups whose licenses and workloads are severely restricted such as CNAs and others are. And certainly the wage difference will never (and in my mind, considering the differences, shouldn't) be covered fully between CNAs and RNs, even if hospitals were to be organized on an industrial model.

The appeal of craft unions, especially in the nurse setting, is that they speak to exclusively craft purposes and goals. CalNurses focus on RN-Patient ratios, for instance, would never fly with an industrial model; it, after all, promotes the use of RNs over less qualified staff. I see industrial organizing, without respect to the very real differences between work groups, leading to a situation where lower paying jobs are actually promoted, and deskilling encouraged, inside hospitals.