What Bargaining Is: Bargaining is how we decide, together, what our work lives will look like. 

It’s a structured process where TCMNA nurses and the medical center sit down as equals to negotiate the terms of our contract. It’s where we fight for improvements to safety, staffing, and working conditions while making sure we protect the gains we’ve already won. 

Bargaining is also a show of strength: the more united and engaged nurses are, the more power we bring to the table. 

When we stand together, informed and united, there is nothing management can take from us and everything we can win for our patients, our coworkers, and ourselves.

As we continue contract negotiations, we must be clear about what bargaining really means. Bargaining is not just a meeting in a conference room; it’s the process that shapes our wages, benefits, safety, and working conditions. Understanding what bargaining is, and what it isn’t, helps us set expectations and reminds us why solidarity matters so much.

What actually happens at bargaining?

Our democratically elected bargaining team drafts proposed changes to the contract.

Every word in our contract has been negotiated by nurses. We give these proposals to the management team from MMC, called “a pass at the table.” Then the parties separate into different rooms called “caucusing” to deliberate and develop counter proposals. Both groups will pass proposed changes back and forth, while continuing to discuss why the proposals we have made are meaningful to our members.

What Bargaining Isn’t: Bargaining isn’t management telling us what will happen. 

Every change to our contract must be negotiated, not imposed. It isn’t quick or simple because tough issues take time and persistence. It also cannot be a list of guarantees, and we cannot get everything we ask for at the table. If we do not stand together and use our collective power, bargaining is unlikely to be successful. That’s because, most importantly, bargaining isn’t limited to the handful of people at the table. The power to move management comes for all of us in the form of how we show up, speak out and stand in solidarity.

At the end of the day, bargaining is about shaping the future of our work and protecting the values that matter most. 

Knowing what bargaining is and what it is not helps us stay clear-eyed about the process, and knowing our rights keeps us strong when challenges arise. When we stand together, informed and united, there is nothing management can take from us and everything we can win for our patients, our coworkers, and ourselves. 

What can I do? 

• Increase union visibility and solidarity: wear red, sign up for yard sign and window sign distribution, work with the TC community to show support for nurses!
• Attend membership meetings and get informed!
• Help to develop rising leaders in every department, on every shift. Sharing information through good communication from the table to the units.
• Let your bargaining team know about what concerns you and your coworkers have, what rumors you’ve heard and share what we can do about it.

Through these actions, MMC will know that TCMNA nurses are paying close attention and we support our union.