{"id":4066,"date":"2019-06-05T15:04:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T15:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarynurse.com\/?post_type=articles&p=4066"},"modified":"2022-02-04T15:57:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T15:57:28","slug":"veterinary-professionals-explore-forming-a-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarynurse.com\/veterinary-professionals-explore-forming-a-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterinary Professionals Explore Forming a Union"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can a grassroots movement to establish a union for veterinary professionals gain widespread support?<\/p>\n

For more than a decade, veterinary technician Morgan VanFleet watched with growing concern as she and her colleagues struggled to make a living in the job they loved. Low wages, meager benefits, and high employee turnover left many support staff feeling burned out, unappreciated, and unable to make ends meet, yet practice owners routinely refused to acknowledge their concerns or take steps to improve work conditions.<\/p>\n

The answer, VanFleet concluded, was a union that would work on their behalf. In February 2017, VanFleet, who had worked as a technician in Washington and Oregon, established the National Veterinary Professionals Union<\/a> (NVPU) in an effort to draw attention to the plight of overworked, underpaid veterinary staff. \u201cIt really struck a nerve,\u201d said VanFleet, who recently left veterinary medicine to work as an RN and is no longer associated with NVPU. \u201cPeople got excited about it very quickly. Dozens of people told me that they always wanted something like this but never knew where to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

The establishment of the NVPU was big news among veterinary employees and practice owners. But could such an organization really enact change?<\/p>\n

In August 2017, employees at VCA San Francisco Veterinary Specialists began talking among themselves about unionizing, said veterinary assistant Katy Bradley, who was among the first to broach the idea. Bradley came from a union family\u2014her grandfather had been a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), so she called him for advice. A month later, the ILWU reached out to Bradley to gauge how serious she and her coworkers were about forming a union. If they truly wanted to unionize, ILWU reps told her, they would be happy to assist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started discussing a union because we felt we weren\u2019t being heard,\u201d Bradley said. \u201cThere were multiple issues going on at the hospital, along with what we felt was a lack of accountability. The response from management was always, \u2018Put it in an email and we\u2019ll see what we can do.\u2019 We felt a union would give us a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

THE COST OF BUSINESS.<\/strong> Corporate owners say that the cost of worker demands will result in an increase in fees, reduction in staff, and other measures. Photo credit: shutterstock.com\/gpointstudio.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

In April 2018, a vote to unionize was held at VCA San Francisco Veterinary Specialists, with two-thirds of eligible employees voting in favor. A month later, Blue Pearl North Seattle, similarly guided by the ILWU, approved a union by a vote of 14-1. Eligible employees at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists of Clackamas, Oregon, voted to unionize in September 2018, and Columbia River Veterinary Specialists of Vancouver, Washington, followed suit in October.<\/p>\n

According to Patty Zehna, secretary\/treasurer of NVPU, the union represents the employees of Blue Pearl North Seattle, which began collective bargaining in December, while the ILWU represents the employees of VCA San Francisco Veterinary Specialists, Northwest Veterinary Specialists of Clackamas, and Columbia River Veterinary Specialists of Vancouver. \u201cThe hope is that both sides can bargain in good faith, negotiating for better wages and benefits, and safer working conditions,\u201d Zehna said.<\/p>\n

Zehna believes unionization will help achieve a number of important goals for office support staff, including:<\/p>\n