Posts tagged Act 10
SEIU intervenes in Wisconsin nurse unionization dispute
December 6, 2022 // Though SEIU cannot officially represent them, the union negotiated on behalf of UW Health nurses during the strike threat. The union gained concessions from UW Health and state lawmakers, ending the strike before it happened and paving the way for future unionization. The contradictions and various legal opinions surrounding this case suggest that WERC’s ruling will be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. A UW Health spokesperson said that the hospital will seek additional legal opinion on the issue, “We believe that an expedited decision on these important legal issues will best allow us to move forward, which is why we are petitioning the Wisconsin Supreme Court for an opinion on these questions.” WERC’s ruling is a temporary legal setback, but all signs point to further legal challenges to state laws on collective bargaining.
UW Health reaches agreement with nurses and union leaders, averting strike
September 14, 2022 // UW Health CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan said he was pleased to reach an agreement. He said that the hospital previously was not able to recognize the union due to Act 10, but now that may change. The hospital did not formally recognize the union under the new agreement, Kaplan said, however, a pathway was been set up for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission to decide if UW Health is covered under Wisconsin’s Employment Peace Act, which gives employees the right to form and join a union. Attorney General Josh Kaul
UW Health nurses vote to authorize 3-day strike in September as they seek to regain union
August 29, 2022 // Nurses voted Wednesday to strike from 7 a.m. Sept. 13 to 7 a.m. Sept. 16, but said the UW Hospital Board could avoid the strike by recognizing the union. Otherwise, nurses will provide a 10-day notice of the strike so administrators can prepare, as required by labor law. In 2014, when a contract for about 2,000 nurses and therapists represented by SEIU expired, they lost the union. In January, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin said it gave UW Health CEO Dr. Alan Kaplan more than 1,500 cards signed by nurses supporting a union. SEIU says 2,600 nurses at UW Hospital would be in the bargaining unit. UnityPoint Health-Meriter in Madison, Steve Striffler, director of the Labor Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts-Boston,
Act 10 Savings Tops $15 Billion Since 2011
March 27, 2022 // Before the unions convince you that contributing 12.6% towards health insurance is an unfair and undue burden, think about this. A state employee in Wisconsin pays $2,952 a year for the regular family plan with dental. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual worker premium contribution is $6,015 a year. State employees pay roughly half of what the average taxpayer pays for health insurance and the state employee is receiving platinum coverage for that reasonable amount.
Why Pennsylvania Needs Wisconsin-Style Government Union Reform
February 24, 2022 // Government union executives use this power to trap government employees in unions, deny them alternative representation, and lobby against fiscal and educational reforms needed to make Pennsylvania more prosperous.