Nurses plan 5-day strike at Meriter hospital in Madison as contract talks stall
Nurses at Madison's Meriter hospital plan to walk off the job for five days starting Tuesday, May 27, after negotiations on a new union contract ended Monday night without an agreement.
The hospital management and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Wisconsin, which represents about 950 nurses at the hospital, are divided over pay, security provisions and whether the hospital should commit to specific ratios of how many patients are under a nurse's care.
The union and the hospital management have scheduled another bargaining session for Monday, May 26 — the day before the strike is scheduled to start. If the strike goes forward, it is scheduled to last for five days, with union members returning on Sunday, June 1.
In order to allow hospitals to secure temporary replacement staff or move patients, federal law requires hospital workers to give at least 10 days notice before striking, which SEIU Wisconsin gave May 9. The union also opted for a fixed duration for the walkout.
'We don't take going on strike lightly, but we truly feel in order to make the changes that are necessary we're willing to fight to make things safe for our patients,' said Pat Raes, a long-time Meriter nurse and also president of SEIU Wisconsin, in an interview May 14.
'Nurses have been clear with Meriter management that we will strike for patient and staff safety, improved compensation to retain nurses, and staffing solutions that include the voices of bedside nurses who care for patients day in and day out,' declared a union statement issued Tuesday morning. 'Meriter is still not listening to the nurses.'
The hospital, UnityPoint Health-Meriter, is one of 17 regional hospitals in the large, Iowa-centered nonprofit health care chain, UnityPoint Health.
'We've been in a union environment for decades and know that a strike could happen. We always work very, very hard to avoid that,' said Sherry Casali, market chief nursing officer for the hospital, in a statement released to the press Tuesday. 'I think both parties would prefer not to have a strike.'
In past years, the union and the hospital have worked with federal mediators during contract talks. This year federal mediation wasn't available after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March gutting the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), nursesan independent federal agency.
Although that order was blocked by a federal judge May 6, the union and hospital turned instead to the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.
Defined patient-nurse ratios have been a longtime goal for union nurses. California and Massachusetts both have state laws setting certain minimum ratios, according to NurseJournal.org. A limited number of other states require hospitals to publish their nurse-to-staff ratios.
'The more patients you take care of once you get above that ratio puts every patient that you're taking care of at higher risk for complications and higher risk for mortality,' Raes said.
The statement the hospital issued Tuesday acknowledged that 'both parties agree on the importance of safe and effective staffing,' but said that mandated ratios 'limit flexibility' and could make it more difficult 'to adjust to patient needs and staff availability in real time.'
The hospital statement said the facility relies on its charge nurses, who 'are key to staffing and have clear avenues to discuss any patient care needs throughout each shift.'
There are limits to flexibility, however, according to the members of the nursing staff. Flexibility 'sometimes works and sometimes doesn't,' said Amanda Husk, a postpartum nurse. 'We just know there's always a base need for nurses to make sure patients are safe.'
Husk said ensuring that the ratio of nurses is always sufficient 'also prevents burnout and turnover of nurses. That's a big deal.'
Raes said nurses also wanted stronger security measures — including metal detectors — in light of violent incidents at hospitals across the country that have led to injuries or deaths of health care workers.
The hospital's statement said its security staff regularly updates security measures and plans additional unspecified changes this summer.
On pay, Raes said that while nurses in their first 12 years have had significant raises, those at the upper end of the scale for pay and longevity don't see their pay keeping up.
The shift to a 401(k) retirement plan from a standard pension has diminished the incentive for more experienced nurses to stick around, said Raes, while the original pension plan encouraged longevity on the job.
Meriter's statement said the hospital's most recent pay offer would keep its nurses 'some of the best-paid nurses in Wisconsin' as well as in Madison.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
An Ohio couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption , Lindsey and Tim Pierce used a handful of donated embryos that have been frozen since 1994 in pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining traction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about 2% of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization , and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors from people like Archerd. She was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know: Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.' ___ This story has corrected the first name of Lindsey Pierce in the second paragraph.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Researchers embark on quest to find cause of cancer crisis plaguing US region: 'It's scary'
Researchers embark on quest to find cause of cancer crisis plaguing US region: 'It's scary' Iowa cancer rates are the second-highest in the nation and rising, and some think it could have to do with common agricultural chemicals. What's happening? "People in rural communities are getting sick. Cancer is just everywhere," Kerri Johannsen, senior director of policy at the Iowa Environmental Council, told the Guardian, which reported on this health crisis. "Every person I talk to knows somebody that has [recently] had a cancer diagnosis. It's just a constant drumbeat. It's scary." The Guardian added that Iowa is just one of two states where cancer rates are increasing, but the cause has been unclear. However, many residents are blaming herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals used on farms. Then there is the state's problem with hazardous nitrates — often coming from agricultural fertilizers and manure from large-scale livestock operations — that wash off farm fields and enter the water supply. Now, a new study will look into these theories as well as cancer links to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and high radon levels, the Guardian reported. "We really want to find out why these cancers are increasing," Elise Pohl, a former community health consultant for the Iowa Department of Health who will be the study's lead researcher, told the Guardian. "We're homing in on the agriculture side of things." Why is this study important? Agriculture is integral to Iowa's economy, contributing $159.5 billion to the state each year, according to the Iowa Farm Bureau. And around one in five Iowa residents are employed in agriculture or by agriculture-related businesses, the organization added. Meanwhile, a number of studies have found links between common agricultural chemicals and cancer. For instance, one recent investigation by Stanford University found that more than 20 types of pesticides may significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer. These pesticides also endanger wildlife. One conservation group states that malathion endangers more than 1,500 species and recently brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its alleged failure to rein in use of the substance. This problem is global in scope — one study estimated that 3.85 million tons of pesticides were used on crops worldwide in 2020. What's being done about potentially dangerous agricultural chemicals? Farm Bureau Financial Services recommends that farmers wear personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, coveralls, vests, and full body suits when handling potentially dangerous chemicals. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. However, some farmers are implementing more planet-friendly practices that reduce their need for conventional pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in the first place. Organic agriculture involves growing and processing food without using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and a number of studies have shown promise for organic fertilizers. For instance, one study found that using microbial biofertilizers and algae-based biostimulants instead of synthetic fertilizers on tomato crops improved both yield and quality. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
14 hours ago
Couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be a record length of storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption, Linda and Tim Pierce used a handful of embryos donated in 1994 in their pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining attraction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about 2% of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors that allows people like Archerd. She was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know, Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.'
