Nurses at 10 SSM Dean Medical Group outpatient clinics in Dane County, Wis., voted to unionize.
Seventy-one percent of the 340 nurses voted to form a union, according to a news release from SEIU Wisconsin shared with Becker’s.
Nurses filed for the election Aug. 10, voting began Sept. 22 and votes were counted Sept. 25.
The nurses are seeking a contract addressing staffing, compensation and workplace policies. They cited short staffing, exhaustion and retention among their concerns.
“For too long, policies have been handed down from SSM executives in St. Louis that force nurses to do more and more with fewer and fewer resources. This intense focus of extracting corporate profits out of us has led to burnout and the loss of some of our very best nurses,” Kat Doebler, a nurse at SSM Health Outpatient Surgery Center in Madison, Wis., said in the union release.
The vote followed a June union election involving almost 900 nurses at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital. Those nurses voted by 89% to form their union. The National Labor Relations Board regional office certified the election July 22.
We thank every nurse who participated in the recent National Labor Relations Board election at ten of our SSM Health Dean Medical Group outpatient centers in the Madison area.
“While we would have preferred an outcome that allowed us to continue working directly with our nurses, we respect their decision and are committed to working constructively through the process ahead,” SSM Health said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “We are grateful for the dedication of our nurses and the care they provide each day. Together, we will continue supporting our patients, serving our communities, and advancing our Mission of providing exceptional health care services to all.”
St. Mary’s nurses also filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging St. Louis-based SSM Health failed to engage in negotiations, discriminated against nurses over union information, confiscated union materials and threatened discipline for union activity, the union release said.
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