Around 100 nurses, community members and labor allies rallied Tuesday at Brittingham Park to address safety concerns within the nurses’ contracts at Meriter Hospital, emphasizing that nurses are prepared to strike if their demands continue to go unmet.
Meriter nurses have been working without a contract since March 23. They began negotiating their contract in January with Meriter management to improve safety for nurses and patients, according to Pat Raes, president of Service Employees International Union Wisconsin and a registered nurse at Meriter.
“The whole community benefits when their unionized workers get higher wages and better benefits, as well as safer working conditions,” Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, told The Daily Cardinal. “That means safer hospitals for all of us when we're patients.”
Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Communications Workers of America Union and other union groups joined Meriter nurses in the rally. Participants carried signs showing support for nurses, chanted and marched around the park before speakers took to a podium, with cars honking from the street behind to show their support.
Kevin Gundlach, president of South Central Federation-Labor, described a personal story about receiving care from nurses after an accident. He thanked them for their work and warned that without nurses advocating for safe conditions, patient care will suffer.
Allison Sorg, an attendee and a nurse at Meriter for 20 years, emphasized the need for more security protocols, more representation on safety committees and concerns with staff availability, noting that less staff leads to more competitive salaries and benefits packages.
“Every year, it seems that we come to bargain, and we don't get management to listen very well to us, and that's why we're out here — to get some support and get the community to understand that we are working for safe staffing,” Sorg told the Cardinal.
Raes shared stories of threats and harassment she’s faced during her 36 years as a bedside nurse, saying that many nurses have left the field because of the unsafe environment.
Raes said they have contract negotiations with Meriter management on Wednesday and one more on May 1. If demands are not met, they will strike if necessary.
“We do not want to do it. We know it is very expensive for the hospital, but it's very expensive for the nurses also,” Raes told the Cardinal. “We have to be willing to stand strong because our patients mean a lot to us. Our peers mean a lot to us and if we're not willing to fight for their safety, who is?”
UW Health nurses have experienced similar internal issues since 2014, advocating against wage caps, poor retention rates and short staffing. In 2019 and again in early 2022, UW Health nurses signed union cards seeking recognition, but the board refused. Nurses went on strike in September 2022, which was averted through an agreement that restored the nurses’ union voice but did not grant them collective bargaining rights.
