What if the manufacturer of your favorite car decided only to sell cars in the color blue?

Or what if your favorite restaurant decided to serve only meatloaf?

Or what if your doctor told you from now on every patient must take the same drug no matter their diagnosis?

You probably wouldn’t be happy with the one-size-fits-all approaches above. Yet, the union business model is exactly that – one-size-fits-all.

The nurses’ union, HPAE, will represent all the Technical team members that vote in the union – even those who vote against representation by the nurses’ union. There will only be one contract for all those Technical team members in the union. Though team members in the union might be from different units with different issues and different needs, the contract will be one-size fits-all.

In fact, issues related to your specific unit could become a bargaining chip in contract negotiations. Your unit’s important issue might be bargained away for another issue that might benefit the nurses’ union itself.

Once the union contract is approved, it binds Cooper and the union. Technical team members will no longer be able to work directly with Cooper leaders to address their specific needs outside of what is in the contract. It’s a rigid approach.

As an example, you may have worked out with your manager clocking out right at 7 a.m. to take your kids to school. If the contract stipulates a later clock out time, you may lose the flexibility to work with your manager on this accommodation.

That’s why we believe flexibility and direct communication between Cooper leaders and team members is always better – especially when it comes to things as important as your day-to-day working conditions and pay.

You decide: is one-size-fits-all the way to go?