THU AM News: Organizers allege ‘scare tactics’ as St. Mary’s nurse union election slated for next week; Fitzgerald touting bills to counter Chinese ‘economic coercion’

June 4, 2026

— Labor organizers say next week’s union election for nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital will be the state’s largest in the private sector in at least a quarter-century.

SEIU Wisconsin yesterday announced the National Labor Relations Board has set June 11 as the date for the union election, after nurses at the Madison hospital began the organizing process more than a year ago.

More than 73% of the hospital’s 870 registered nurses have signed union cards as part of the effort, yesterday’s announcement notes.

They’re seeking to address issues around “extreme understaffing” leading to burnout for nurses, “uncompetitive” pay and other concerns, according to the union. The group says staffing at the facility is about 40% lower than the average for the area, and the lowest among seven nearby hospitals.

Amid the organizing effort, SEIU claims executives at SSM Health have used “scare tactics” to discourage organization such as threatening to suspend those wearing union buttons and ripping up union flyers. The union says the health system has also been “pulling nurses away from bedside care” to attend anti-union meetings with leadership.

The health system didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the union’s allegations.

Allison Willems, a registered nurse in the hospital’s medical-surgical department, says forming a union represents an extension of the profession’s patient advocacy role, giving nurses a say in how they provide care.

“Nurses are the backbone of our hospital, and the time has come for us to be respected and heard,” she said in a statement.

Willems, who’s worked in healthcare for 12 years, says the hospital’s staffing levels aren’t set based on how sick its patients are. The hospital uses a system based on “productivity grids,” according to the union, which has been criticized by nurse advocates who say it puts profits above the needs of patients.

As a result, nurses can be stretched thin between multiple severely ill patients, adding to the strain of the job, according to Willems.

“That can be completely overwhelming, and I’ve witnessed new nurses break down crying in the middle of their shift,” she said. “It hurts your heart when you can’t answer a call quickly enough, or can’t sit with a patient and offer emotional support, or you go home at night worried sick that you might have missed something.”

Next week’s election will be held at a conference room in the hospital, with three voting windows open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. The NLRB says all ballots will be counted after the close of the final voting session that evening.

See the union’s release.

See more in the NLRB case file.

— U.S Rep. Scott Fitzgerald says two newly introduced federal bills aim to counter China’s “economic coercion” tactics, both domestically and abroad.

Fitzgerald, a Republican representing Wisconsin’s 5th CD, this week rolled out the Thwarting Regional Adversary Investments Now Act and the Build Responsible Infrastructure Development for the Global Economy Act.

The TRAIN and BRIDGE Acts are named to mirror China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to expand the country’s global influence with infrastructure lending and related agreements along with other financing. Cumulative engagement with the Chinese program has reached nearly $1.4 trillion since 2013, according to Fitzgerald’s office.

“China has turned the Belt and Road Initiative into a weapon of economic coercion, building leverage through debt, controlling critical infrastructure, and pulling countries deeper into Beijing’s orbit,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Under the TRAIN Act, the U.S. State Department would be directed to help non-adversarial partner governments assess legal and financial risk before accepting lending or investment from China or other foreign adversaries.

Meanwhile, the BRIDGE Act would require the secretary of state to work with other officials and agencies on a report to Congress assessing Chinese efforts to use the initiative to “undermine the U.S.-led international order,” according to Fitzgerald’s office.

See the release.

— Potawatomi Ventures is launching a new entrepreneurship program this summer for tribal members and their families.

The economic development arm of the Forest County Potawatomi Community yesterday announced details for the Bwadwét Innovation Community, which will kick off its first cohort July 13. The program’s name means “the one who starts a fire,” and organizers say it will be grounded in culture while working to support business success within the community.

Two cohorts will be held each year, including 15-week sessions with personalized startup support, guest speakers and community-building efforts. The program will eventually feature quarterly workshops and other resources, along with plans for co-working spaces and artisan storefronts.

Candidates for the inaugural group can include FCPC tribal members, their spouses and descendants in Wisconsin, while future cohorts will be open to more entrepreneurs across other tribal areas.

Alexis Harris, director of the new program, says it aims to “uplift Indigenous innovators” and make sure they’re not alone in their business journey.

“We are creating an opportunity rooted in culture, connection and resilience and we are excited to deliver a supportive ecosystem empowering Indigenous entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey,” Harris said.

See the release.

— WHEDA and other state officials have announced $47.8 million in new housing tax credits for 35 projects, helping to create housing for about 5,000 people in Wisconsin.

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority yesterday said these projects will “provide or preserve” 2,128 new affordable housing units across 15 counties and 26 communities.

Twenty-eight of the projects getting funding are new construction while the rest are focused on rehabilitation or reuse, and 24 are meant for families, leaving the rest for seniors.

See the release.

— Dem gubernatorial candidate Kelda Roys has released an energy plan that calls for steps to increase requirements before data center developments can move forward.

That includes a proposed requirement that they meet new environmental standards and pay the prevailing wage for laborers and mechanics who work on the project. Those provisions are similar to sections of SB 279 that Roys and other Dem lawmakers co-sponsored this session.

Roys also called for:

An executive order directing state agencies to enforce environmental and water use protections and to protect ratepayers from higher energy costs.
A new public negotiating team to assist local communities where developers plan to build data centers.
A requirement that large data centers fund a revolving loan program to finance clean energy upgrades to public buildings.

Roys also proposed new renewable energy targets for utilities to set a goal of Wisconsin being fully powered by clean energy by 2050. Her plan didn’t include details.

Gov. Tony Evers previously announced a plan to have a carbon-free energy system in Wisconsin by 2050.

Roys is the latest gubernatorial candidate to offer an energy plan. Dem rival Mandela Barnes, for example, in March said he’d only appoint members to the PSC who would freeze utility rates and called for a change in state law to cap the salaries of utility executives.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has vowed to temporarily freeze utility rate increases while the state implements a long-term plan to lower prices, while state Rep. Francesca Hong has promised to introduce legislation that would establish a clean electricity standard that requires 60% renewable power by 2030 and 100% clean electricity by 2040.

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