Regulation & Approvals
SEIU Wisconsin Urges New Democratic Majority to Pass UW Health Bargaining Bill
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- SEIU Wisconsin wants the new Democratic majority to reintroduce and pass AB 999 and SB 965, which would restore collective bargaining rights for over 25,000 UW Health employees.
- The earlier bills, introduced in February, were never taken up, and Rep. Lisa Subeck said the timing and form of new legislation remain undetermined.
- A 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision affirmed that Act 10 leaves the state without a requirement for UW Health to recognize or bargain with unions.
SEIU Wisconsin is calling on the incoming Democratic governor and legislative majority to pass a bill restoring collective bargaining rights for UW Health employees, a campaign the union has pursued for seven years. The union announced the goal on Thursday, naming AB 999 and SB 965 as its objective, Yahoo reported.
SEIU Wisconsin's Push for AB 999 and SB 965
SEIU Wisconsin is a Wisconsin labor union local representing about 7,000 healthcare, property services and public school workers, formed in 2023 through the unification of SEIU Local 152, SEIU Local 1 in Wisconsin and SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. Its announcement said the bill would restore full collective bargaining rights for thousands of nurses and more than 25,000 total UW Health employees.
The UW Health hospital system's employees are not classified as state employees, but former Gov. Scott Walker's 2011 Act 10 eliminated state laws that had guaranteed union rights for UW Hospital & Clinics Authority employees since 1996. The last contracts expired in 2014, and in 2019 UW Health nurses announced they were joining SEIU Wisconsin. A 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision affirmed that, because of Act 10, state law does not require the hospital system to recognize or bargain with unions representing its employees.
Colin Gillis, SEIU Wisconsin vice president for nursing and a UW Health nurse for nine years, said Democratic leaders assured members the issue would be a priority. "And they gave me and my coworkers, assurance, directly to our faces, verbally, that this would be a top priority," Gillis told the Wisconsin Examiner. Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison), the lead Assembly author on the previous bills, said the timeline and exact form of action still have to be determined.
What the Union's Records Show
According to akta.pro company records, SEIU Wisconsin launched worksite organizing campaigns at UW Health Nurses, St. Mary's Hospital & SSM Dean Clinics, UnityPoint Health Meriter and Group Health Cooperative in 2024. The same records show members voted in 2025 on a new constitution, bylaws and a restructured dues schedule phasing to 2% of regular wages by 2029, and elected local officers who took office on January 23, 2026.
How Other Labor Disputes Compare
The ASML Korea union sent a letter to Samsung Electronics on the 13th demanding negotiations on labor safety and working conditions, Naver reported. Teamsters Canada criticized Canadian National and Canadian Pacific's request for pre-strike arbitration under Bill C-39, arguing it would rob workers of strike rights, Local Breaking reported on November 10.
What Comes Next for UW Health
Gillis said he has not yet heard about a timeline for the legislation. Subeck said it remains to be determined whether simply repealing Act 10 would be sufficient for restoring the UW Health workers' union rights.