Labor unions at nursing homes could help reduce staff turnover, a recent study found.
The study, published Oct. 13 in JAMA Network Open, analyzed 2021 CMS total nursing staff turnover data at more than 11,400 nursing homes. It found that unions were associated with reduced staff turnover.
When more than 75% of nursing homes in a county were unionized, the facility-level presence of a union was associated with a 9 percentage point decrease in turnover. When less than 75% of nursing homes in a county were unionized, the decrease was 1.2 percentage points.
"These findings suggest that unions may decrease nursing staff turnover in nursing homes, thus helping employers meet new federal staffing minimums, especially in counties where most nursing homes are unionized," the authors wrote.