Wisconsin high court declines to review UW Health union case

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court docket has declined to evaluate a case within the ongoing battle for UW Well being nurses who’re in search of the unionize.

Following a call from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commissions, which backed the well being system’s stance that it’s not required to acknowledge nurses’ efforts to prepare if it doesn’t wish to, UW Well being mentioned it petitioned to the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket on Dec. 9 to expedite the choice of whether or not the well being system “is ready to voluntarily acknowledge a union and collectively cut price.”

In an announcement on Monday, UW Well being said that the well being system is working to find out subsequent steps.

“Whereas the excessive courtroom declined to take that challenge immediately by an expedited course of this month, each SEIU and UW Well being proceed to pursue authorized, definitive and expeditious solutions to those questions,” the UW Well being assertion learn.

The union seeking to signify UW Well being’s nurses, SEIU, argued that UW Well being was making an attempt to get across the authorized course of by submitting immediately within the Supreme Court docket.

“Nurses have been constructing our union at UW Well being to advocate for the easiest high quality care and good jobs for Wisconsin,” SEIU said. “We applaud the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket’s latest choice to disclaim UW Well being’s petition to evaluate whether or not our union will be voluntarily acknowledged.”

SEIU defined that its combat isn’t over both, noting that it has filed for an election with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. It additionally referenced an energetic attraction in Dane County Circuit Court docket concerning the WERC opinion.

SEIU cited a earlier opinion launched by Wisconsin Legal professional Common Josh Kaul final June, which concluded that the College of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority can select to voluntarily interact within the collective bargaining course of with its nurses. Whereas Kaul mentioned UWHCA might select to interact in negotiations about wages or different employment situations, he didn’t decide if they have to achieve this.

Click on right here to obtain the NBC15 Information app or our NBC15 First Alert climate app.

Copyright 2023 WMTV. All rights reserved.