Nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital Push for Unionization Amid Staffing Concerns
In a significant move towards improving workplace conditions, nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison are making strides to form a union. The initiative comes as a response to numerous unresolved concerns regarding staffing and patient care.
Earlier this month, the nurses filed necessary documentation with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to initiate a union election. The goal is to conduct this election by late May or early June. Should the effort prove successful, 870 registered nurses, both full-time and part-time, would be represented within the hospital’s bargaining unit, as stated by the NLRB. This group of healthcare professionals aims to join the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU) Wisconsin chapter.
Staff members have expressed a desire to address working conditions rather than seeking employment elsewhere. According to the nurses, more than 70 percent of them have already signed authorization cards to proceed with the election. The primary concern among the staff is the current staffing levels, which require nurses to manage more patients simultaneously, leading to burnout and high turnover rates, negatively impacting patient care.
Registered nurse Savannah Nesvik, who has been with St. Mary’s for seven years, shared her experiences from working on the neurotrauma floor. She remarked, “There’s so many small things that add up and make our job harder. We feel like our voices are not heard. We’re not getting a say in things.”
SSM Health, in a statement, emphasized their commitment to fostering a respectful and compassionate work environment, stating, “We strive to ensure that our team thrives so that they can do their best work in realizing our Mission to provide exceptional patient care.” The health system also noted their respect for employees’ rights to choose union representation.
However, union organizers have accused the hospital of adopting an aggressive stance against the unionization efforts. An SEIU Wisconsin spokesperson labeled the hospital’s response as highly anti-union. Nurses reported that SSM Health has threatened disciplinary actions against workers for displaying union pins and badge reels, citing violations of the hospital’s solicitation policy.
An internal email dated May 11 informed staff that wearing SEIU-related items was against hospital policy, and announced the cancellation of special attire days to prevent further division.
Patrick Masters, an eight-year veteran at the hospital, commented on the situation, saying, “Rather than feeling downtrodden or defeated, I think our work and our education of each other has worked well. People feel strong and joyful in the fact that you can take our badge reel, you can take our pin, but you can’t take the fact that we’re organized, we’re together (and) we’re going to have an election.”
The hospital, reportedly the lowest-paying in the area, did not respond to allegations related to the unionization effort. Savannah Nesvik noted the financial strain faced by many nurses, mentioning that some have relocated outside Dane County while continuing to work at the hospital due to inadequate wages.
Sable Dobbie, a nurse in the step-down intensive care unit, highlighted the challenges of working with limited experienced staff, stating, “I’ve called the whole hospital being like, ‘Can somebody tell me how to solve this problem, because this has never been a problem for me?’ And I’m the one who knows the most here. And that’s so scary.” The staffing shortages often compel her to prioritize care for the sickest patients and limit the ability to attend to basic patient needs.
The evolving situation at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital underscores the ongoing challenges faced by healthcare workers advocating for better working conditions and patient care standards.
