% FACE MORE THAN 12 YEARS IN
% PRISON.
% ON THE HEALTH CARE FRONT, NURSES
% AT UW HEALTH IN MADISON TODAY
% DELIVERED THEIR OFFICIAL TEN-DAY
% NOTICE OF INTENT TO STRIKE.
% THE NOTICE COMES IN RESPONSE TO
% THE HOSPITAL'S REFUSAL TO
% RECOGNIZE THE NURSE'S UNION.
% HUNDREDS OF NURSES VOLTED IN
% FAVOR OF A THREE- VOTED IN FAVOR
% OF A THREE-DAY WALK OUT.
% UW HEALTH SAID THE DECISION BY
% SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL
% UNION TO CONDUCT A STRIKE IS
% DISAPPOINTING.
% THEY WILL HARM PATIENTS KNOWING
% THAT THEIR ACTIONS WILL NOT GAIN
% THEM AN ANSWER TO THESE LEGAL
% QUESTIONS.%WE ARE GO NOW TO O
NE OF THE
% LEADERS IN THE EFFORT TO
% UNIONIZE.
% COLIN GILLIS.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
% >> Colin Gillis: THANK YOU FOR
% HAVING ME.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: THE
% STRIKE WOULD BE STAGED TO GET
% THE HOSPITAL TO RECOGNIZE THIS
% UNION.
% WHY DO NURSES WANT THE UNION?
% >> Colin Gillis: WE HAVE BEEN
% FACING CUTS THAT HAVE REDUCED
% OUR ABILITY TO TAKE CARE OF
% PATIENTS FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS.
% SINCE WE LOST OUR UNION FOUR
% YEARS AGO.
% SO WE'RE REALLY -- WE'RE
% COMMANDING THIS UNION BECAUSE WE
% NEED A REAL VOICE AT THE TABLE
% WHERE THE DECISION ABOUT POLICY
% GETS MADE.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: DESCRIBE
% YOUR WORKING CONDITIONS THAT LED
% TO THIS DECISION FOR NURSES.
% >> Colin Gillis: I WORK ON AN
% IN-PATIENT UNIT WHERE WE TAKE
% CARE OF COVID PATIENTS, AMONG
% OTHERS.
% AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING
% SHORT STAFFED.
% AND WORKING SHORT STAFFED AS A
% NURSE MEANS YOU ARE MAKING AN
% ENDLESS SERIES OF IMPOSSIBLE
% DECISIONS.
% DO I GIVE THIS PATIENT PAIN
% MEDICATIONS OR DO I STAY AT THE
% BEDSIDE AND MONITOR THIS PATIENT
% WHO MAY BE DECOMPENSATING AND IN
% DANGER OF GETTING EVEN SICKER
% THAN THEY ALREADY ARE?
% AND IT'S THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE
% THAT CAUSES BURNOUT AND
% EXHAUSTION AND MORAL INJURY THAT
% IS CAUSING NURSES TO LEAVE NOT
% JUST BEDSIDE NURSING, IN-PATIENT
% NURSING, BUT TO LEAVE THE
% PROFESSION.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: SO YOU
% DESCRIBED A SERIES OF CUTS OVER
% THE YEARS.
% ARE THESE, KIND OF, DELIBERATE
% CUTS?
% OR DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH THE
% SHORTAGE OF NURSES OVERALL?
% >> Colin Gillis: SO WE'VE BEEN
% FACING A CHRONIC STAFFING CRISIS
% SINCE THE HOSPITAL IMPLEMENTED
% SYSTEM NOTICE MEAN STAFFING BACK
% IN 2018.
% SO THERE IS A NATIONAL STAFFING
% SHORTAGE.
% BUT THE STAFFING CRISIS THAT
% WE'RE EXPERIENCING AT UW IS, IN
% PART, AN OWN GOAL.
% IT'S SELF-INFLICTED.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: YOUR
% FELLOW NURSES SAID HAVING A
% UNION WOULD HELP PATIENT CARE.
% HOW SPECIFICALLY?
% >> Colin Gillis: NURSES ARE ON
% THE FRONTLINE.
% THE VERY FRONTLINE OF HEALTH
% CARE.
% SO WE SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO
% OUR PATIENTS AS IT'S HAPPENING.
% AND WE'RE ALSO, BECAUSE WE'RE AT
% THE FRONTLINE AND THE BEDSIDE,
% WE'RE THE EXPERTS.
% WE REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON
% WHEN WE'RE FACING A PANDEMIC OR
% WHEN WE ARE FACING INCREASING
% LEVEL OF PATIENTS IN NEED OF
% HEALTH CARE IN THE COUNTY.
% AND IT'S US WHO ARE MOST
% QUALIFIED TO MAKE DECISIONS
% ABOUT WHAT POLICIES WILL REALLY
% WORK AND PROTECT PATIENTS.
% AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE ARE
% OPERATING IN A CRISIS SITUATION
% RIGHT NOW.
% WHERE WE'RE JUST SO UNDER
% STAFFED, WE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF
% OUR PATIENTS THE WAY WE NEED TO.
% AND WE KNOW THAT THE HOSPITAL
% MAY BE ABLE TO HIRE NEW NURSES
% ALL THE TIME, BUT WE CAN'T DO
% OUR JOBS IF OUR HOSPITALS ARE HL
% REVOLVING DOOR WHERE NURSES GET
% HIRED AND LEAVE A YEAR LATER.
% GO AHEAD.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: I'M
% WONDERING ON THE FLIP SIDE IF
% WALKING OFF THE JOB FOR THREE
% DAYS WILL HURT PATIENT CARE.
% >> Colin Gillis: WE'RE GOING ON
% STRIKE TO PROTECT OUR PATIENTS.
% AND WE'RE GIVING OUR -- WE
% ALREADY GAY THE HOSPITAL -- WE
% ARE GIVING THEM A TEN-DAY NOTICE
% SO THEY CAN DO WHAT THEY NEED IN
% ORDER TO KEEP PATIENTS SAFE
% DURING A WORK STOPPAGE.
% BUT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
% STRIKE IS ON THE HOSPITAL.
% THEY CAN LEGALLY RECOGNIZE OUR
% UNION AND THEY REFUSE TO DO SO.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: DO YOU
% FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE NEW LEVERAGE
% NOW WITH THIS NURSE SHORTAGE?
% AND HOW ARE YOU PROCLAIMED
% HEALTH CARE HEROS THROUGH THE
% PANDEMIC?
% >> Colin Gillis: NURSES ARE --
% WE LIKE TO SAY IN NURSING THAT
% WE ARE THE MOST TRUSTED
% PROFESSION AND GALLOP HAS BEEN
% DOING A POLL THAT SHOWS THAT FOR
% A VERY LONG TIME.
% I THINK, MAYBE, YES, WE ARE EVEN
% MORE TRUSTED AS A RESULT OF THE
% PANDEMIC.
% BECAUSE WE WERE THERE WHEN OUR
% COUNTRY NEEDED US.
% AND BY THE WAY, THE PANDEMIC IS
% NOT OVER.
% WE DO THINK THAT WE ARE AS
% POPULAR AS EVER.
% AND ALSO, WITH THE NATIONAL
% CENSUS, IT DOES MAKE IT -- IT
% DOES MEAN THAT IT'S ON THE
% HOSPITAL TO PAY EVEN MORE
% ATTENTION TO US RIGHT NOW.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: COLIN
% GILLIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
% AND THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.