Workers at two Rogers Behavioral Health outpatient clinics, in Madison and West Allis, voted by large margins to join a union Wednesday, April 22, despite opposition from their employer.
At Rogers’ outpatient clinic in West Allis, workers voted 53-4 to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which already represents Rogers employees at locations in California and Pennsylvania, according to the union. In Madison, employees voted 26-4 in a separate election to join.
The vote total does not include challenged ballots, said Matt Artz, of the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
The elections come following weeks of opposition by Rogers, which filed a last-minute lawsuit to try to block the elections after a challenge before federal labor officials was rejected.
“Everything that’s happened within the last two months has really just solidified our reasoning to want to organize,” T’Anna Holst, a therapist at the West Allis clinic, said following Wednesday’s vote. “I feel really good about making this choice, especially with all the illegal behavior the employer has been doing.”
Employees at the West Allis clinic, at 2424 S. 102nd St., announced plans to unionize on Feb. 4, citing concerns with staffing ratios, increasing workloads and patient care.
Days later, Rogers fired two nurse practitioners and a psychiatrist at the clinic who were union organizers or supportive of the efforts. Rogers also hired third-party consultants viewed as anti-union who, organizers say, tried to discourage workers from voting to unionize.
A complaint alleging the firings were illegal and part of intimidation tactics is pending with the National Labor Relations Board. Rogers has said it followed the law.
In a statement April 23, Rogers acknowledged the election results and said it was evaluating next steps.
“We are committed to our patients, our people, and the integrated care that has made Rogers a trusted provider across Wisconsin since 1907,” the statement said.
In previous statements, Rogers voiced concerns about unionization, saying it would “jeopardize our ability to work together to solve problems quickly and flexibly.”
A nonprofit based in Oconomowoc, Rogers has three hospitals and 10 clinics in Wisconsin that provide mental health care and addiction treatment to adolescents and adults.
Labor board reviewed challenges from Rogers
A union election was delayed until now, while the National Labor Relations Board was considering a challenge made by Rogers to the members included in the proposed union, and therefore who would be eligible to vote in an election.
Last week, the labor board’s regional director, Jennifer Hadsall, rejected Rogers’ challenge, clearing the way for the elections April 22.
Rogers officials said they planned to appeal Hadsall’s decision.
Rogers also filed a lawsuit April 20 to block the regional director’s decision while awaiting a ruling on its appeal, but a federal judge declined to block it and allowed elections to proceed.
The union will represent nearly 70 workers at the West Allis clinic, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, therapists, behavioral specialists, case managers and more.
“We’re ready to move forward and negotiate a contract here in Wisconsin that will make Rogers the best place to give and receive mental healthcare,” Holst said.
The West Allis clinic, also known as the Lincoln Center, sees more than 100 adolescent and adult patients every day. The clinic runs intensive outpatient programs and a partial hospitalization program, in which patients spend the full day at the clinic going to group therapy, classes and other treatment.
At the Madison clinic, located at 406 Science Drive, the union will represent nearly 40 employees, part of a separate bargaining unit.
“This has always been about making sure we have the staffing and the resources to give the best care to our patients, and we’re determined to make that a reality in our first contract,” Erin Quinlan, a behavioral health specialist at the Madison clinic, said in a news release.
Reporter Sarah Volpenhein can be reached at svolpenhei@usatodayco.com or 414-607-2159.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Workers at Rogers Behavioral Health clinic in West Allis vote to join union
Reporting by Sarah Volpenhein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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