Employers cannot legally retaliate against employees for union activity. You have the right to organize under federal law (NLRA), but there are often risks and complexities, so having a union or labor lawyer involved is helpful.
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and underwriting losses have absolutely nothing to do with a union vs. non-union shop
"Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan reported a $1.7 billion underwriting loss in 2024"
BCBS OF MICHIGAN IS UNION The BCBS members' contract expired at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, with the union leaving the bargaining table over key sticking points, including the outsourcing of jobs and stagnant wages. Members hit the picket lines in downtown Detroit and Lansing.
Is all this union talk because today is May 1st? Where the world celebrates the worker’s struggle again the oppressive employers. No wonder today was a big RIF day.
If Nixon could make it so that way healthcare could be made for profit and make it a business then we can take our power back and unionize it as workers.
They don’t need incentive to contract and offshore more work. They’re already doing it and that’s their long-term plan. How many people have been impacted by re-badges this year alone? What’s comically unrealistic is posting on this site reasons why it won’t work and then just taking it all on the chin and doing nothing. History shows the people who win are the ones who fight back.
If we tried to unionize, which is comically unrealistic, it would just give them more incentive to offshore and contract more work.
Newsflash! If unions didn’t work, Trump wouldn’t be trying to ban them.
Don’t listen to the plants on this post telling anyone it won’t work. A quick Google search will tell you there’s many corporations that have unions. For all we know it’s Gails minions themselves planting that seed. AT&T for Christs sake has one. Again don’t want one don’t join and be productive. But right now this is the only fighting chance anyone has. We’ve heard it all on the town halls. AI, AI, AI. If we don’t stand up to them now and get RIF’d the next job we have somewhere else is going to do the same thing. We have got to take control back in our hands.
Unions work for trades, not corporations.
- National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) – Kaiser Permanente
The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) has led several significant strikes involving Kaiser Permanente employees, focusing on issues such as staffing shortages, patient care, and working conditions. For instance, in October 2024, over 2,400 mental health professionals in Southern California began an open-ended strike addressing staffing shortages and increased workloads. 
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- 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Representing over 200,000 healthcare workers across New York City, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the city’s largest private-sector union. They have been influential in advocating for healthcare workers’ rights and have recently endorsed political candidates who support labor rights and social issues.
No, it cannot stop layoffs altogether. But below is what it can do.
A union can’t directly stop all shady business practices or offshoring—but it can fight back and hold employers accountable in several powerful ways:
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- Collective Bargaining Power
Once a union is formed, it can:
• Negotiate contract terms that limit outsourcing or require transparency in business decisions.
• Demand advance notice of changes that affect jobs, such as moving departments offshore.
• Push for “just cause” protections, so workers can’t be fired or replaced without fair reason.
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- Shine a Light on Shady Practices
Unions give workers a platform to:
• Expose unethical or illegal practices publicly or through legal channels.
• File complaints to federal agencies (like the NLRB, DOL, or EEOC) with backing.
• Use media and public pressure to call out corporate wrongdoing.
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- Slow or Influence Offshoring
While no union can completely prevent offshoring:
• They can negotiate severance, retraining, or job guarantees.
• In some cases, unions have won contract language requiring companies to consult the union before relocating jobs.
• In heavily unionized industries, political lobbying can create laws or incentives that protect domestic jobs.
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- Build Worker Solidarity Across Borders
Some unions work with international labor groups to:
• Apply pressure across the supply chain.
• Improve working conditions abroad so companies don’t exploit low-wage labor as easily.
Once upon a Time, there was a robust UAW team in Michigan, coming from the old beacon world and into CBH. A group that was once about 200 strong, now has a couple dozen max. They have moved union business offshore and to other non-union locations, as well as loss of business overall. A union will not protect anyone from layoffs.
There are dozens of us!
Dozens!
But we can’t just do nothing. That’s what they’re banking on. All of us doing nothing. It can be done. They are doing everything they are because they know they can and that none of us will fight back.
Be realistic. We’re no longer in the world where “legally” or “federal law” drive leadership’s decisions. Sorry if that’s read as having some political bias. Just reading the room.
SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
• One of the largest unions in healthcare and insurance support services.
• Represents healthcare workers, admin staff, call center reps, and tech support.
- OPEIU (Office and Professional Employees International Union)
• Represents office workers, insurance employees, and healthcare professionals.
• Already has members at major insurers like Aetna and Blue Cross.
- CWA (Communications Workers of America)
• Organizes in customer service and tech roles, including in health insurance.