Nurses lost their collective bargaining rights in 2011 when then-Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10, which ended collective bargaining for most public employee unions, shifted more retirement costs onto workers, capped employer contributions to health insurance and made it easier to fire employees who engaged in work stoppages or strikes. UW Health nurses re-established their union in 2022 under Service Employees International Union-Wisconsin (SEIU).

“UW nurses have been fighting for years to regain our full union rights to advocate for our patients and profession, and now we are so excited that we have a new day and the rays of hope are shining,” said Amy Plaza-Baji, a registered nurse for 12 years who works at UW clinics and UW Health University Hospital.

The nurses are looking to Senate Bill 995 and Assembly Bill 999, known as the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act, as a potential vehicle for restoring bargaining rights. The bill was first introduced in early 2026 but did not advance beyond introduction. It would allow employees of UW Hospitals and Clinics to authorize a collective bargaining representative through petition rather than certification through election, the current standard, and would permit units to present information to new employees and use email and communication systems to discuss workplace issues and organizing activities.

“Passing the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act is about strengthening nurses’ voices so that we can give every single patient the time and attention they deserve,” said Mary Jorgensen, a UW Health nurse. “I volunteered for phone banking and door knocking with my union because I see that as part of my role as a patient advocate. Nurses and healthcare workers united together — at UW, Meriter, SSM and all other facilities — are going to bury Act 10 and ‘Right-to-Work,’ and raise healthcare standards for our patients, our jobs and community.”

The push comes as Wisconsin continues to grapple with a significant nursing shortage, driven in part by worsening working conditions including low pay and burnout. Those challenges have driven experienced nurses out of the profession and made it difficult to fill thousands of open positions. At the same time, the state faces an estimated $16.8 billion cut in federal health care funds, which could result in as many as 258,000 people losing coverage, according to state and federal estimates.

SEIU says the full restoration of nurses’ bargaining rights is more pressing than ever. “As a union, we have made some significant progress, but now we have new momentum toward regaining a union contract that will empower us with the fullest seat at the table and the strongest voice for our patients and each other. It’s just common sense to listen to and involve frontline staff in the decision-making process about how we do our jobs and deliver care,” Plaza-Baji said. “We’re enthusiastic about further building our productive relationship with UW Health to ensure we’re the very best place to work and receive care. Together we achieve more.”

Beyond the proposed legislation, SEIU-Wisconsin plans to help lead a statewide coalition working to fully repeal Act 10 and restore collective bargaining rights for all public employees. The union also says it is committed to ending Wisconsin’s “right-to-work” law. The coalition includes 1,200 nurses from UW Health, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital and Dean Medical Group, and UnityPoint Health–Meriter.

Failing to address nurses’ demands could worsen the nursing shortage, particularly as cuts to health care funding put additional financial pressure on hospitals and potentially lead more nurses to leave the profession. UW Health nurses hope newly elected officials will revive efforts to pass the Patient Care and Worker Empowerment Act and later work toward promises to repeal Act 10.