MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of nurses at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in Madison plan to walk off the job next week. They have confirmed that they are going on strike starting Tuesday, May 27.
Pat Raes is a nurse at Meriter, and the president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a statewide union of health care workers.
She said union nurses are fighting for improved compensation and better staffing solutions, as nurses are tasked with caring for more patients amid staffing shortages.
“We have nurses with just one or two years of experience leaving the field entirely,” said Raes. “Others are leaving hospitals for jobs that offer less stress and better support.”
The union is also calling for stronger safety protocols at Meriter. New metal detectors and increased hospital security have been part of stalled negotiations.
“Our big concern is safety — safety for nurses, patients, and for the facility itself,” said Raes. “Health care workers are among the most physically attacked groups of workers in the country.”
Hospital leaders said they’ve had 22 bargaining sessions with the union. They shared a proposal that would make Meriter nurses some of the best-paid nurses in Wisconsin, and the top-paid in Madison.
Sherry Casali, chief nursing executive and vice president of patient care at Meriter, said the hospital has a plan in place so the strike does not interrupt patient care.
“We’ve been meeting to ensure that we are ready to go, and I want our community — everyone in our community, and the outlying area — to know that we have qualified staff. We will be bringing in nurses that will get oriented to our policies, our protocols,” said Casali. “They are nurses that move across the U.S. and are highly skilled and highly qualified. So, we will be bringing in nurses, and then our other team members will continue to provide the care they do.”
