MADISON (WKOW) — A declaratory ruling from a state committee determined UW Health nurses cannot obtain mandatory union recognition and bargain a contract under Wisconsin law.
In September, UW Health reached an agreement with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to avert a strike.
As part of this agreement, UW Health said they would work together to determine if UW Health could legally recognize a union; two months later, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) said UW Health cannot.
WERC states because the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority is not an “employer” as outlined in Wis. 111.02(7), it is their opinion the Wisconsin Employment Peace Act “does not apply to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority and its employees and their chosen representatives, if any.”
UW Health spokesperson Emily Kumlien said WERC’s decision was an “important first step” to getting a definitive answer on this 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,” she said.
27 News has reached out to SEIU for a statement.
You can read WERC’s full declaratory ruling below.
