MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of UW Health nurses who voted to strike last week are moving forward, announcing plans to file their formal 10-day notice on Friday, leaders said on Thursday. The strike would start at 7 a.m. on September 13 and last at least three days.
Last week, nurses with the local health care provider voted to strike if their union, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, isn’t formally recognized by UW Health. In a culmination of an effort lasting now almost three years, the strike is planned unless the union is recognized and UW Health agrees not to retaliate against participants.
RELATED: UW Health nurses vote to strike if union not recognized
In a statement last week in response to the vote, UW Health had rebuffed calls to recognize the union as a violation of the law.
“While we hope SEIU reconsiders this unfortunate decision, we must take them at their word that a strike will happen,” press secretary Emily Kumlien said at the time. UW Health CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan shared similar sentiments in an email with staff, UW nurse and union organizer Shari Signer shared with For the Record last Friday.
UW nurses were formerly members of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, but the last union contract expired in 2014 after the passage of Act 10 which cut back the bargaining rights of public employees. 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.
Legal opinions on the subject have varied, given UW Health employees not being state employees. Attorney General Josh Kaul said this summer in a nonbinding opinion that recognition of the union would be legal; two opinions from the Wisconsin Legislative Council and Legislative Reference Bureau have appeared to lead to different conclusions on the matter as well.
RELATED: ‘We’re asking for recognition’: UW Health nurses explain why they plan to strike
In a statement on Thursday, nurses said they were planning a press conference on the impending strike for Labor Day.
“Nurses are leaving the door open for dialogue, and the responsibility is on the UW Health Board and administration to come to the table and recognize their union in order to avoid the imminent strike,” the nurses’ statement said. “The purpose of the advanced notice is to ensure patient safety by allowing UW Health to make preparations such as hiring temporary staff.”
The nurses have not shared a specific number of those planning to strike with the hospital or the public, citing only ‘hundreds’ who voted to strike. In the past, the group says over 1,500 nurses have signed cards saying they want a union, and the size of the union would be about 2,600. In all, UW Health employs about 3,600 nurses.
“The hospital has to replace all of us. So they’re going to have to get agency nurses to come in and replace every nurse in the building because they won’t know exactly how many nurses are participating,” Signer told News 3 Now last week.
In a statement, UW Health called the announcement “unfortunate.”
The full statement reads:
“UW Health has been informed that Friday, Sept. 2, a group of nurses plan to formally announce a strike starting at 7 a.m. Sept. 13 until 7 a.m. Sept. 16. This is unfortunate given that a strike will do nothing to alter the legal uncertainties surrounding the health system’s ability to collectively bargain. Since the original announcement of the planned strike, UW Health is focused on the continued safety and quality care for all patients, ensuring patient care is impacted as minimally as possible. For additional information, see our previous statement.”
This coverage will be updated.
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