Collective Bargaining: Status Quo
If a union election is held and a union is elected, it could take a year and a half or longer to negotiate a contract. While you wait for a contract, your employer is legally required to maintain status quo on wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. Changes cannot be made unless the union specifically agrees. Sometimes, a union will withhold agreement on employer proposals to secure an agreement on another issue that is important to the union.
In our region, nurses at two hospitals are experiencing this state of uncertainty firsthand. At Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, nurses voted to unionize in November 2023, and as of May 2025 are still without a contract. Similarly, in Washington, D.C., nurses at George Washington University voted to unionize in July 2023, and as of today a contract has not been reached.