Nursing strike at Madison's UnityPoint Health-Meriter ends in tentative agreement

Yahoo

3 days ago

A four-day strike at Madison's UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital where hundreds of nurses have been asking for safer working conditions is ending in a tentative agreement between the hospital and SEIU Wisconsin, which represents 934 Meriter nurses, according to a May 31 announcement from the labor union.
While the tentative agreement does not outline broad safety measures for staff across the board, it does consist of protections for some staff, an 8% raise over the next two years for all and new framework for staff to voice concerns, bargaining team member Amber Anderson said at the May 31 news conference outside the hospital.
In particular, the bargaining team won commitments specific to staff and patients working in Child Adolescent Psychiatry and the Emergency Room, as well as commitment to a tip sheet for violent incidents, Anderson said.
The bargaining team was not able to win actionable commitments from management that would more tangibly prevent workplace violence across the board, she said, particularly on staffing ratios. However, Anderson did say they obtained language that will be easier for nurses to collectively voice concerns on staffing and safety and work with management to find solutions.
Union members will vote to ratify the agreement during the evening on May 31 and then return to work at the hospital by 7 a.m. June 1, which is when the strike had been scheduled to end.
The strike — the first for Meriter nurses — began on May 27 grounded in frustrations over hospital management's lack of response to multiple requests for a safer work environment.
Contract negotiations started in January. Since then, nurses had been asking for their contract to guarantee greater security measures at the hospital, including adding a metal detector and smaller staff-to-patient ratios in the hospital's medical-surgical units. They also sought increased pay for working nights and other less desirable shifts.
Pat Raes, a Meriter nurse and president of SEIU Wisconsin, previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there had been instances where patients and visitors brought guns into the facility without the knowledge of staff. Violence against health care workers has been on the rise, Raes said, and nurses sought action before a serious incident occurs, not after.
Anderson said on May 31, "This victory is not just for the bargaining team. It belongs to all of us. To every single one of you who showed up, spoke out and stood strong, we thank you."
Behind her stood over a dozen other hospital staff and supporters decked out in the union's signature color: purple.
In her speech, Anderson thanked SEIU staff, UW nurses, workers at the Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin and community members and other local unions who donated time and resources.
In a Facebook post on the agreement, the hospital issued the following statement: "We respect the union's process and look forward to the outcome of their decision. We believe this is a strong, fair contract that demonstrates the value and respect we have for the nurses on our team."
'We are grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the negotiations. This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress toward a contract that recognizes the important contributions of our nurses," Market Chief Nursing Officer Sherry Casali said.
The hospital in downtown Madison is part of UnityPoint Health, an Iowa-based health system with locations across southern Wisconsin. In 2017, the hospital entered into a joint operating agreement with UW Health, allowing patients to get care from both providers.
UW Health is also no stranger to labor negotiations. The health system's nurses union was dissolved in 2014 as a result of Act 10, and nurses began the fight to restore it in 2019, including threatening a three-day strike in 2022 that ultimately did not occur.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently deciding whether UW Health is required to negotiate a collective bargaining contract with the union. The court heard oral arguments in the case in February.
Madeline Heim contributed to this report.
Contact Claudia Levens at [e-mail]. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nursing strike at UnityPoint Health-Meriter ends in tentative agreement