The past year presented significant staffing issues, legal challenges, compensation concerns, and increased activities, such as pickets, protests, and unionization efforts, mainly led by National Nurses United (NNU) and the California Nurses Association (CNA).
The year ahead looks to continue these challenges, including the beginnings of pay transparency, new leave requirements, and a shift toward a value-based care model, which emphasizes quality outcomes and cost-effective care. Such challenges may impact labor relations as we ask health care workers to meet performance metrics and quality indicators to maintain job security and advancement opportunities. As a result, labor unions will likely use these metrics to further their organizing efforts.
Additionally, we’ve seen a sharp increase in residents, interns, and fellows unionizing across the United States. Since the pandemic, the rate of union organizing among these employees has increased threefold, and we expect that to further accelerate in 2023.