The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) guarantees our rights as workers to form a union and fight for better wages and working conditions, but many employers will test employees to see if we know the law. While we don’t need to know the full text of the NLRA, it is important to know our rights as workers so we can fight back against management when they break the law.

Healthcare Workers Can:

• Talk about forming a union while at work, just as we would other topics such as vacations, our children, or favorite movies
• Read or distribute materials about forming a union during breaks, meal periods, and before and after work in non-work areas (e.g., break room, cafeteria)
• Attend union meetings
• Sign and/or ask our co-workers to sign union cards or petitions during breaks, meal periods, and before and after work. Cards or petitions can be signed anywhere except areas where patients receive treatment (unless the facility has a preexisting rule that prohibits any solicitation in work areas)
• Talk with each other and the public about staffing, pay, benefits, and other conditions at our workplaces

Management Cannot:

• Prohibit workers from talking about the union if you are allowed to talk about other topics
• Ask workers whether you support forming a union
• Engage in surveillance of union supporters or activities
• Harass or intimidate workers for supporting a union
• Ask workers to remove union items such as buttons and pens (unless there is a pre-existing rule that prohibits items in patient care areas that is enforced against all types of items)
• Prohibit workers from sharing information about staffing, pay, benefits, and other conditions at your workplace
• Implement new restrictions designed to interfere with forming a union, such as preventing workers from returning to their workplace on their day off