MADISON, Wis. — Nurses at UW Health have voted to strike next month if the healthcare provider doesn’t address their concerns about patient care and recognize their union.
The group of nurses voted Wednesday night to strike, setting strike dates of 7 a.m. September 13 through 7 a.m. September 16. In a statement released overnight, the group says they are still willing to work with administrators at UW Health to address concerns about staffing levels and staff retention and want to leave the door open for dialogue even as they announce their plans to strike.
“We’re striking to put an end to the vicious cycle of understaffing and burnout and to win a union voice so we can protect the health of our patients and each other,” Registered nurse Tami Burns said in a statement from the nurses group. “We’ve been suffering from extreme short staffing and cuts, and there’s a mass exodus of our talented nurses.”
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UW nurses were formerly members of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, but the last union contract expired in 2014. The vote to strike is the latest effort from the group over the last few years to get regain union recognition from UW Health, which the healthcare provider has repeatedly said it can’t do because of Act 10.
Officials at UW Health repeated that stance on Thursday.
“At this time, the non-partisan Wisconsin Legislative Council and Legislative Reference Bureau, as well as internal legal counsel and external legal counsel agree that the health system cannot legally collectively bargain under Wisconsin law, due to the Act 10 legislation passed in 2011,” UW Health spokesperson Emily Kumlien said in a statement.
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In June, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul issued an 11-page opinion saying he interpreted the law to say UW Health could voluntarily collectively bargain with a union representing the nurses, but Kumlien says that doesn’t determine if the collective bargaining would actually be legally allowed.
“The Attorney General has said he believes we can, but by his own admission states that his opinion is not law and that only the courts or the legislature can provide a conclusive answer. UW Health will not violate the law,” Kumlien said.
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UW Health called the announcement of the planned strike “disappointing” and urged the nurses to pursue other avenues to gain union recognition.
“The Attorney General[‘s] Opinion suggested that the union could petition the state for recognition through traditional channels,” Kumlien said as part of UW Health’s response. “Taking that route would avoid a strike and move us closer to getting a definitive answer from the courts on whether UW Health can legally recognize and bargain with a union.”
The nurses say if they do strike, they will give UW Health officials 10 days’ notice so preparations can be made to ensure patient safety during the strike. Despite that, UW Health officials claim a strike would still have unintended consequences.
“They will harm patients knowing that their actions will not gain them an answer to these legal questions,” Kumlien said. “This strike will be unpleasant for patients and for our staff, but we will get through it and never lose sight of our shared mission to meet the needs of our patients.”
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