Saying they are inspired by the momentum of SSM St. Mary’s Hospital nurses’ landslide victory, nurses at SSM Health Dean Medical Group in Dane County petitioned Monday for a union election of their own.
The petition, which was filed with the National Labor Relations Board, involves 380 nurses at 10 outpatient clinic locations.
Dean nurses say they want to unite with the movement of union nurses at St. Mary’s, Meriter and UW Health “to raise patient care standards throughout the region.”
“I’m helping build our union because I want to work in a clinic that has appropriate staffing levels, sufficient training, and support for nurses which will allow us to do our best work,” Jennifer Loney, a nurse at the Dean South Madison Campus, said in a press release. “I’m excited to finally have our voices be heard with the people who have been making decisions for us for so long.”
Dean nurses work in outpatient clinics for cancer treatment, urgent care, family medicine, surgery, gastrointestinal care and other services.
They say they are struggling with serious problems around short staffing, burnout, unfair compensation and policies that do not support and retain staff, among other concerns.
They would be represented by SEIU Wisconsin, is the state’s largest healthcare union, representing over 7,000 hospital, nursing home, home care and social service workers.
Their election petition is part of a nationwide wave of unionizing by nurses, doctors and other medical professionals.
On July 22, the National Labor Relations Board regional office overruled the objections of SSM and certified the union election for almost 900 nurses at St. Mary’s hospital. The St. Mary’s nurses voted by 89% to form their union in June.
