The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) aided nurses in agreeing to a tentative contract Saturday after almost 1,000 nurses at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital launched the first strike in the union’s history on May 27, fighting for increased security, lower patient-to-staff ratios and higher wages.
“We fought for every penny they had to offer [and] won an 8% increase across the board over two years for every single nurse at Meriter,” co-chair of the Meriter nurses bargaining team Amber Anderson told the Wisconsin State Journal.
The strike followed more than 20 bargaining sessions since January, assisted by SEIU. Since March 23, they have been working without a contract.
“Nurses have been sounding the alarm about staffing concerns and adequate workplace safety and burnout for months, but management has refused to act or even hear us,” Pat Reis, president of SEIU Wisconsin and a registered nurse (RN) at Meriter, said at a press conference. “We do not take this action lightly. We are striking for our community, we are striking for our fellow nurses, and we are striking for every patient who walks through Meriter's doors.”
Three nurses on the union’s collective bargaining team described Meriter management “walking away from the bargaining table” after offering a contract with a 2.5% wage increase and a “vague promise to review staffing.” The union refused the deal.
Cars passed by honking in support as the nurses marched around the block before joining a picket line they planned to hold for the next five days, or until their demands were met. The nurses’ union provided Meriter administration with a mandatory 10-day strike notice on May 9. Nurses were temporarily replaced by traveling nurses until the union and administration met on May 29 and returned to work Sunday after agreeing to a temporary contract, WPR reported.
Meriter management said the agreement is still subject to a vote by union members.
The evening before the strike, Meriter sent an email to staff threatening to rescind striking nurses’ health insurance during June, according to Reis and several other nurses. Striking nurses were locked out of their work emails until they returned, and their badges were deactivated.
Meriter reported on May 27 they were “open and providing exceptional care.” They did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Meriter nurses have been fighting for wage increases, safer staffing ratios and security measures since 2014.
Meriter is not the only Madison-area hospital with labor disagreements between nurses and administration. UW Health, a UnityPoint Health partner of Meriter Hospital, did not initially recognize its nurses’ union’s right to collectively bargain, though the nurses gained union recognition following a strike in 2022. The Capitol Clinic center of Group Health Cooperative South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW) has also faced struggles seeking union recognition. SEIU has filed over 60 unfair labor practice complaints against GHC administration.
Nurses call for increased security measures, wages
Several nurses spoke at the press conference, including postpartum nurse Madison Vander Hill, who said her work at Meriter helps her feel connected to the city where she grew up and all of her family lives. Vander Hill, who has worked at Meriter for almost a decade, said she joined the strike because she wants to see change from management to ensure safety and security are prioritized.
“This is my dream job, and I would like to retire at Meriter someday,” Vander Hill said at the press conference. “Helping a new mother breastfeed at 3 a.m., or teaching a father how to do skin-to-skin with his newborn or helping an adoptive family feed their precious baby for the very first time — these moments are etched into my soul.”
Audrey Willems Van Dijk, a perinatal nurse, said she would like to provide the best possible care at Meriter without sacrificing her health and well-being.
“Our patients deserve care that reflects the impacts of these moments in their lives. Despite being asked to do more with less every day, we continue to offer that care,” Willems Van Dijk said at the press conference.
One of the union’s safety demands is installing a metal detector, which Meriter said they would do by the end of the summer, according to Anderson.
Though Meriter has had the equipment in the basement for at least four years, they said they did not have the appropriate space or staff to operate the machinery, Anderson said.
“My specific experience has been that [administration members] are very resistant to wanting to work with us,” Anderson said.
Vander Hill and Anderson both said they are scared to go to work, partly because of insufficient security measures.
“Every day in nursing, I say, ‘I can do this scared.’ Every day, I do, and I wish I didn't have to,” Vander Hill said.
Democratic figures and politicians, including Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wilker, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard and Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, also attended the strike, voicing their support for the nurses.
Editor's note: This story was updated on June 4, 2025, with information on the tentative contract the nurses and hospital administration agreed to.
