It is impossible to predict how long the process might take but we can say bargaining for first contracts is typically not fast. A study published in Bloomberg Law in June 2021, analyzed data from union elections held between 2004 and 2021. Researchers found that – on average – it took 465 days to reach a first contract for newly unionized workers.1 These statistics underscore the fact that unionization is not a “quick fix” to the concerns nurses might hope the union will address.
