Colin Gillis, a registered nurse at University Hospital and a leader of UW Nurses United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Wisconsin, has worked at UW Health for eight years and witnessed the decline of public sector labor unions firsthand.
Gillis saw union representation phase out in 2014 after UW Nurses’ last contract expired, union efforts resurface in 2019 and a near strike in 2022. In June, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against union recognition for UW nurses by the Wisconsin Employment Peace Act.
For Gillis and other nurses involved in the union, the decision was disappointing.
“Collective bargaining would give us the power to advocate effectively. This isn’t just about wages — it’s about building the strongest healthcare system we can” Gillis told The Daily Cardinal.
After the UW nurses’ contract expired, UW hospital and clinic authorities hired Prism, an outside consulting group working to cut labor costs. Gillis said many changes occurred without input from nurses.
“Nurse-to-patient ratios got worse. Nurses were expected to care for more patients, which compromised patient safety. But the real problem came with a hiring freeze in 2018,” Gillis told the Cardinal.
Act 10
In 2011, former Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10, eliminating collective bargaining rights for most public employees, including UW nurses, only permitting negotiations related to wages.
Because the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic Authorities has both corporate and government responsibilities as a public entity, there was ambiguity as to whether UW Health employees could collectively bargain under Act 10.
More than a decade later, the effects of Act 10 are still noticeable in their working environment, Gillis told the Cardinal.
Discussions over collective bargaining rights
Between 2016 and 2019, the percentage of nurses who “intend to stay” at UW Health’s University Hospital and American Family Children’s Hospital declined from 89% to 83%, causing many nurses to turn to organizing to regain collective bargaining rights. UW Health stopped recognizing the nurses union in 2014, with a campaign working to gain union representation in 2019.
In 2022, UW Health nurses planned a three day strike hoping to get recognition for the nurses union. Gov. Tony Evers responded to the strike by establishing “meet and discuss” meetings between the hospital and union members and a review into whether the Peace Act requires UW health to recognize the nurses union. The strike was later cancelled.
“Before 2022, management wouldn't even meet with us — our CEO literally said he couldn't. Now, we have regular meetings with top hospital leadership. That visibility alone is huge.” GIllis told the Cardinal. “We've also seen real changes — like peer support for disciplinary cases, which didn’t exist before. Compensation has improved significantly… and staffing ratios have gotten better.”
These meetings are a step towards gaining collective bargaining rights, which Gillis said would “solidify” protections around staffing, pay and workplace violence. “Right now, our ability to advocate is dependent on this informal relationship — not legal rights,” he said.
After the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission ruled that UW Health was not required to bargain under the Peace Act, SEIU Wisconsin challenged the decision in the Dane County Circuit Court, eventually leading to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, who recently decided the statutory language and history in Act 10 ended collective bargaining requirements previously placed on authority.
While SEIU and UW Nurses United said they are “disappointed” by the ruling, they are not “deterred,” adding that the “path to gaining collective bargaining rights does not end here.”
“We will continue to explore all possible pathways to restoring our full collective bargaining rights, including seeking voluntary recognition and passing legislation, to ensure that all of us, no matter who we are or where we work, have a seat at the table and a voice in our workplace,” SEIU and UW Nurses United said.
