The American Nurses Association (ANA) has many years of experience in representing nurses during bargaining talks, having being in existence for over a hundred years (Workplace, 2005). It promotes the representation of nurses by the Constituent Member Nurses Associations (CMA) because it believes that for nurses to implement their practice, the environment in which they work is important. Collective bargaining encompasses the process of negotiating and then enforcing a legally binding contract between an employer and an employee group such as nurses. The nurses vote to let the bargaining agent, a union, bargain on their behalf. A combination of traditional and non-traditional collective bargaining practices can be used to allow nurses to acquire organizational autonomy and control over nursing practice (Budd, Marino and Patton, 2004).
The ANA considers itself the best nurses union and best nurses professional association because it "devotes 100 percent of its resources to researching and addressing issues specific to nurses and nursing" (Workplace, 2005) The ANA addresses such contract issues as staffing; professional development; health and safety; job security; professional practice and quality of care; restructuring; and mandatory overtime, wages and benefits. It also deals with grievances; collects data linking quality patient outcomes to care by a registered nurse; sets standards for professional nurses; provides leadership development at the local, state and national level; and is involved in litigation to protect the rights of nurses and political action to promote the legal rights of nurses at work.
Professional nurses have the right to organize with their colleagues and elect a State Nurses Association as their bargaining representative and to bargain collectively with their employee (Budd, Marino and Patton, 2004; Workplace, 2005). They have the right to negotiate their economic and professional concerns thr...