JONA Volume 49, Number 1, pp 42-47 Copyright B 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. THE JOURNAL OF NURSING ADMINISTRATION An Exploratory, Descriptive Study of Nurse Leaders’ Personal and Work Experiences During Union Negotiations and Strike Events Jaynelle F. Stichler, DNSc, RN, NEA-BC(r), FACHE, FAAN Luc R. Pelletier, MSN, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN Tanna Thomason, PhD, RN-BC, CNS OBJECTIVE: This study explored the experiences, perceptions and emotional state of nurse leaders during union activities to understand the impact on their personal and professional lives. BACKGROUND: Other than anecdotal stories shared during union negotiations and strike preparations, very little evidence exists in nursing and healthcare literature about nursing unions and their impact on nurse leaders and their organizational priorities. METHODS: This study used an exploratory, descrip- tive design with a convenience and snowball sample of Association of California Nurse Leaders members. RESULTS: The findings indicate nurse leaders expe- rience a range of emotional states in response to union activities with perceptions of increased work- load, job stress, and constrained and deliberate com- munications with their staff. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the body of knowledge about nurse leader experiences and feel- ings during union activities. We know very little as to how union activities (nego- tiations, strike preparations, or actual strikes) affect the personal and professional experiences of nurse leaders. Little evidence exists in nursing and health- care literature about nursing unions and their impact on patient outcomes, nurse leaders, Magnet A journeys or designation, nurse satisfaction, or other relative variables. Most articles regarding the union and pa- tient, provider, or organizational outcomes have been published in non-peer-reviewed, labor relations, or union journals. Because of the paucity of previous liter- ature on the topic, it seemed necessary to conduct an exploratory study to describe how union activities affect nurse leaders’ personal and professional work expe- riences. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal and professional experiences of nurse leaders during union negotiations and strike preparations and to understand the impact on lives of nurse leaders. There were 2 research questions for the study: 1) What are the perceptions of nurse leaders about union nego- tiations, strike preparation, or actual strikes on personal, professional, and organizational outcomes? And 2) what is the effect of union negotiations and strike preparations on nurse leaders in a healthcare system? Review of the Literature A literature search was conducted for the past 5 years using PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar search 42 JONA  Vol. 49, No. 1  January 2019 Author Affiliations: Consultant Research & Professional Devel- opment (Dr Stichler), Center of Nursing Excellence Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, California, and Coeditor, HERD Journal , Thousand Oaks, California; Senior Specialist, Nursing (Mr Pelletier), Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, San Diego, California; Adjunct Faculty (Mr Pelletier and Dr Thomason), University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, California; Core Adjunct Faculty (Mr Pelletier), National University, San Diego, California; Clinical Nurse Specialist (Dr Thomason), Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California; Adjunct Faculty (Dr Thomason), Point Loma Nazarene University School of Nursing, San Diego, California. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Correspondence: Dr Stichler, 7930 Frost Street, Suite 307, San Diego, CA 92123 (jan.stichler@sharp.com). Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal_s Web site (www.jonajournal.com). DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000706 Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.