"Union" Nurses

Well, it appears that the RNs at St. John's Mercy will vote today on the new contract on the table. After two weeks of no talks or deliberation, suddenly they are voting on a contract that the union representative calls disappointing. I think there are two reasons why this might be the case:

One - the nurses are cold, tired and suddenly discovering that the lack of income and insurance really sucks compared to what they used to have. They are realizing that the hospital isn't in any hurry to wrap this up, and it is actually doing just fine in providing services to the public.

Two - The union brought the original contract to the table this time around, asking the mediator for the meeting with the hospital. I see the main reason for this is due to the fact that their picket lines are starting to look really thin. After five weeks of nothing happening for their benefit, it seems that a lot of nurses have crossed back over to work within the hospital. They can work in the warm building making money and getting the benefits from the hospital, or they can stand out in the bitter cold while the union does absolutely nothing to further their cause. It seems like the union brought this to the table to try and get quick resolution of some kind, before the majority of their nurses begin thinking that maybe they don't even need the union. So the union is trying to close up the deal that it calls disappointing in order to save its own skin.

My opinion:
Sometime union workers can come across as being selfish, but they do what the union asks.
Most times the union itself acts selfishly just to protect its own budget, and never stands out in the cold.