UW Health nurses see renewed hope for restoring union rights after midterm elections

UW Health nurses are hopeful that a new political landscape following the midterm elections could bring the restoration of their full union rights and renewed efforts to repeal Act 10. Nurses at UW Health lost their collective bargaining rights in 2011 when former Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10 into law. The legislation ended collective bargaining rights for public employee unions, shifted more retirement contribution costs onto employees, capped employer contributions to health insurance and made it easier to fire employees who engaged in work stoppages or strikes. Now, with Democrats poised to gain a governing trifecta in Wisconsin next year, nurses see an opportunity to overturn Act 10. They are looking to Senate Bill 995 and Assembly Bill 999, known as the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act, as potential vehicles for restoring their bargaining rights.

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