SEIU Wisconsin: UW Health nurses celebrate historic election victories, vow to pass the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act

The Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act (Senate Bill 965-Assembly Bill 999) would restore full collective bargaining rights for thousands of nurses and over 25,000 total UW Health employees. Act 10 was passed in 2011, leading to the termination of union contracts for UW Health nurses and other workers. Nurses re-established their union at UW Health in 2022, but are seeking legislative action to make it unequivocally clear that UW Health must negotiate a union contract with its employees who wish to be represented by a union. With a full seat at the decision-making table, nurses and other allied health professionals can negotiate the staffing, retention and policies they need. Nurses say they look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with UW Health to achieve shared goals, including training and retention, patient satisfaction, expansion of healthcare coverage for Wisconsinites and increased funding.

“UW nurses have been fighting for years to regain our full union rights to advocate for our patients and profession, and now we are so excited that we have a new day and the rays of hope are shining,” said Amy Plaza-Baji, who has been a registered nurse for 12 years and works both in UW clinics and UW Health University Hospital. “I love being a nurse because every day I get to make an intimate connection with my patients and their families, and help them navigate their healthcare journeys. As a union, we have made some significant progress, but now we have new momentum toward regaining a union contract that will empower us with the fullest seat at the table and the strongest voice for our patients and each other. It’s just common sense to listen to and involve frontline staff in the decision-making process about how we do our jobs and deliver care. We’re enthusiastic about further building our productive relationship with UW Health to ensure we’re the very best place to work and receive care. Together we achieve more.”

The effort to restore nurses’ full union rights has become especially urgent as Wisconsin is facing multiple crises in the healthcare field, the nursing profession and the wider economy. The state’s population is rapidly aging, struggling with chronic disease, and needs more complex care than ever before. At the same time, thousands of nursing positions are unable to be filled due to intolerable working conditions, burnout and loss of experienced nurses. Wisconsin is also being hit with $16.8 billion in federal healthcare cuts and over 258,000 Wisconsinites could be kicked off their coverage. Compounding these crises is the skyrocketing cost of living – with inflation up more than 26% in the last five years – and a rigged economic system in which frontline workers are devalued while rich elites hoard wealth and power at the top. 

Over the years, nurses and elected leaders have vigorously disputed that Act 10 removed UW Health workers’ full union rights. In 2022, UW nurses voted by 99% to strike for recognition of their union, leading to the groundbreaking agreement with UW Health that re-established the nurses’ union and created an avenue to solve problems through mandated labor-management meetings in a process called “Meet and Discuss.” 

Beyond passing the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act, members of SEIU WI have pledged to help lead a wide coalition of the Wisconsin labor movement, non-union workers, young people and community members to dismantle Act 10 completely for all public service workers. SEIU members are also committed to ending so-called “Right-to-Work,” the legislation crafted by large corporations to weaken workers’ voice in private sector jobs. Nurses say that overturning both these laws is vital for ensuring all working people can have a strong voice at work so they can afford the rising cost of living and provide quality services to their communities. 

Bolstering the coalition will be the 1,200 nurses at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital and Dean clinics in Dane County who recently voted by an overwhelming landslide to form their union, and union nurses at Meriter Hospital, all of which are in the private sector.  

“Passing the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act is about strengthening nurses’ voices so that we can give every single patient the time and attention they deserve,” said Mary Jorgensen, who has been a nurse for over 30 years and works in UW Health’s inpatient operating room. “I volunteered for phone banking and door knocking with my union because I see that as part of my role as a patient advocate. Nurses and healthcare workers united together – at UW, Meriter, SSM and all other facilities – are going to bury Act 10 and ‘Right-to-Work,’ and raise healthcare standards for our patients, our jobs and community.” 

Members of SEIU WI are rejoicing in winning 100% of their priority races, including 16 state legislative seats, five statewide office seats and two congressional seats. They knocked on over 317,000 doors and ran an extensive program of rallies, mail, phone calls, texting and ads. The victories for statewide office include David Crowley for governor, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Sarah Godlewski for lieutenant governor, JoCasta Zamarripa for secretary of state and Yee Leng Xiong for state treasurer. In the state legislature, SEIU WI members have helped lead a sustained, long-term effort that has flipped at least 10 Assembly seats in this and previous election cycles, along with six Senate seats. At the federal level, SEIU WI members were also pivotal to helping flip U.S. House districts 1 and 3, which were among the most competitive in the entire nation.