Meriter Hospital
Wisconsin State Capitol
Madison, WI
5/30/2025
It’s day four of the Meriter Hospital nurses’ strike. Their asks are simple: better compensation, increased job security, and a safer patient-to-nurse ratio.
On the Park Street side of the strike line, morning commuters in cars, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and tractor trailers honk and wave as they pass those walking the line, each showing their support and solidarity against the unfair labor practices of the Meriter bosses.
The 934 nurses at Meriter are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of Wisconsin, a union whose motto is, ‘Stronger Together’ and which works to “unite thousands of healthcare, property services and public school workers across race, gender, background and industries to build a state where every family can thrive and where every worker is respected, protected and paid a living wage.”
To say that these are merely coworkers and fellow union members is an understatement. This is a family, and it’s clear that this family looks after itself while working to care for you, their patients. Now, several hundred family members have gathered at the corner of Park and Chandler, waiting for the march to the Capitol to begin—a group united in solidarity. Solidarity is the foundation of a union; without it, a union loses strength. When unions fail to support one another, their power diminishes. Earlier this week, a community member witnessed a moment during the strike when two elevator repair workers arrived at the hospital and encountered the striking nurses. As fellow union members, the repair workers turned around and left, demonstrating their support for their union brothers and sisters. This exemplifies solidarity!
There is a rush of adrenaline as the march begins!
6/1/2025
Late yesterday afternoon, it was announced that the nurses and Meriter bosses had reached a tentative agreement, thus ending a historic five-day nurses’ strike. Victory!
Early this morning, a small group gathered to celebrate and welcome the nurses back to what they love doing: caring for people in need. At the gathering, it was announced that the agreement reached has been ratified, meaning the 934 nurses now have a two-year contract that provides job security, a wage increase, and efforts to improve the nurse-to-patient ratio.
Pat Raes, president of SEIU-Wisconsin and a nurse at Meriter, praised the negotiation team, which remained strong throughout the talks. Raes also emphasized the significance of those who walked the line, saying, “The nurses owned the strike!” She went on to discuss the importance of marches, rallies, and strikes as a means to improve healthcare.
The victory for the nurses at Meriter helps establish a foundation for further growth, according to Raes, as it amplified the voice and strength of the struggles faced by other nurses and healthcare workers in cities and states across the country.
