MADISON, Wis. — Nurses at UW Health in Madison won't walk off the job this week after mediation efforts over the weekend.
A three-day strike was scheduled to begin Tuesday morning as UW nurses called for their union to be recognized by the hospital, an effort that has been underway for nearly three years.
During a Monday press conference at the Capitol, UW Health nurses said they are resetting their relationship with the hospital from one of a dispute to one of a productive conversation.
The announcement of an agreement to avoid a work stoppage comes after three days of mediation with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission last week, after which the governor took matters into his own hands and invited both sides to the executive residence to continue talks into the weekend.
“I just made an offer to come to the residence and sit down together,” Gov. Tony Evers explained. “This wasn't easy. It took time, honesty, and commitment from both sides to better communicate, and that is exactly what they did.”
The main focus of the agreement is to get a final legal answer as to whether UW Health can recognize a union and collectively bargain with employees. For the last decade, the hospital has said it cannot recognize a union in the wake of Act 10, which was passed by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2011.
UW nurses were once members of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. However, when their last union contract expired in 2014, the hospital administration did not negotiate a new agreement and cited the state's ban on collective bargaining for most public workers.
Nurses at UW Hospital argue they are not state or municipal employees since the hospital split off from the university system in 1996 and became its own public authority. Given the hospital's special status, there have been varying legal interpretations of how Act 10 would apply, including a nonbinding opinion from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who said the hospital could contract with its employees.
While the hospital still has not recognized a union under the agreement announced Monday, a pathway has been cleared for the state's labor relations commission to determine if the hospital is allowed to do so.
Now, nurses at UW Health will not go on strike until the legal proceedings finish.
“I know our nurses, our staff, and our entire community are thankful for the partnership of the governor, SEIU, our nurses, in getting a definitive answer to this fundamental question,” UW Health CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan said. “We also agreed we want to take care of patients, so we want to work hard to get to an agreement to stop this work stoppage, and future ones, while we're working through this particular set of issues.”
Neither side commented on whether concessions were reached for hours, compensation, and benefits.
UW Health Nurse Colin Gillis, who has worked at the hospital for five years, told reporters that the conversations with administrators have been serious, meaningful, and productive so far. Part of the agreement announced Monday will make sure those talks continue to happen.
“We're excited to work together with the UW administration to solve the challenges we're facing and make sure UW Health is the very best place to work and receive care,” Gillis said. “I have always said that our union, and our executive leadership at UW Health, ultimately share the same values and concerns. Starting today, we have the opportunity to meet at the table, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
UW Health could find out in a matter of months whether or not state labor laws allow the hospital to recognize a union, according to Kaplan. However, both sides could appeal any legal decision that may result, which could further delay proceedings for months or even years.