MADISON – Yesterday evening the UW Health nurses voted to authorize a strike in response to the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority’s (UWHCA) continued rejection of recognition of the UW Health nurses’ union. Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Elected officials, faith leaders, the union movement, and our entire community are united in our demand to the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority (UWHCA) and administration: recognize the UW Health nurses’ union immediately and stop the retaliation to ensure quality patient care.”
“Day after day, nurses care for us and our loved ones and go above and beyond the call of duty to provide for some of our most vulnerable. As one of the largest employers and healthcare providers in the state, UW Health has a moral responsibility to be a leader in setting the highest standards for care, jobs, and workers’ rights. It is absolutely unacceptable that they are refusing to recognize the nurses’ union and threatening them with retaliation for their union activity. Like other workers in Wisconsin, UW nurses are protected by state employment laws providing them with the legal right to engage in concerted activity, including the right to strike, free of retaliation. Providing UW Health nurses with a union voice in the workplace will create a more collaborative, safe, and respectful work environment that will improve the lives of both nurses and patients.”
“Today, I want to say to all the nurses at UW Health that I honor your sacrifice, I understand the value in the work that you do, and I will continue to be shoulder to shoulder with you in your fight to unionize and bargain for better working conditions.”
