Wisconsin Examiner
Nurses’ campaign for union voice gets support from Democratic lawmakers, faces uphill battle
Sen. Melissa Agard speaks Thursday at a news conference promoting legislation she and Rep. Lisa Subeck, far right, plan to introduce that would restore collective bargaining rights at UW Health. Nurses and their supporters in the health care system stand behind. (Erik Gunn | Wisconsin Examiner)
Two lawmakers are circulating draft legislation that would restore collective bargaining rights that employees at University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics Authority lost with the passage of Act 10 a decade ago.
The legislation is the latest step in a union organizing campaign by nurses employed by UW Health that launched in late 2019 and has been ramped up again after a year on the sidelines because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Carol Lemke, RN, left, and Shari Signer, RN, speak at a rally Saturday marking Nurses Week and calling for union representation for nurses and other health care workers. ((Erik Gunn | Wisconsin Examiner)) -
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A blurb for the Today show was typical of the top hits in a Google search on nurses week 2021 over the weekend: Where to score free coffee, cookies, tacos and more.
But in front of the State Capitol Saturday morning, scores of nurses and their supporters wanted a lot more than freebies. They called for respect and a voice on the job.
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Laura Kasten, RN (Erik Gunn | Wisconsin Examiner)
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We were deeply betrayed at all levels of power while drowning in. dying patients.’ //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Carol Lemke, RN, left, and Shari Signer, RN, speak at a rally Saturday marking Nurses Week and calling for union representation for nurses and other health care workers. Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner.
A blurb for the Today show was typical of the top hits in a Google search on ‘nurses week 2021’ over the weekend: “Where to score free coffee, cookies, tacos and more.”
But in front of the State Capitol Saturday morning, scores of nurses and their supporters wanted a lot more than freebies. They called for respect and a voice on the job.
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Evers budget restores collective bargaining rights. Republicans vow to block this. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Act 10 protests at the Wisconsin Capitol 2011. Photo by Richard Hurd. (CC BY 2.0)
For tens of thousands of Wisconsin workers who lost most or all of their rights on the job a decade ago, one provision in Gov.
Tony Evers’ second biennial budget stands out: Evers’ proposal to restore collective bargaining for public employees.
Better compensation is one reason, say state and local workers, who argue that their pay hasn’t kept up with the marketplace, creating staff shortages and turnover and straining workloads for many public employees, including teachers, social workers and corrections officers. But lagging wages are only part of the picture.
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