At Capitol rally, nurses raise their voices for union rights

A blurb for the Today show was typical of the top hits in a Google search on ‘nurses week 2021’ over the weekend: “Where to score free coffee, cookies, tacos and more.”

But in front of the State Capitol Saturday morning, scores of nurses and their supporters wanted a lot more than freebies. They called for respect and a voice on the job.

“We were deeply betrayed at all levels of power and unsupported while drowning in vast numbers of dying patients,” said University of Wisconsin Hospital nurse Laura Kasten, who spent much of the last year working in a COVID-19 unit. “Executives and politicians called us heroes but refused to take action. And we’ve had no avenue to make the changes needed to safely and adequately care for our patients.”

Members and allies of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, part of the Service Employees International Union, gathered on the Capitol steps overlooking Madison’s State Street for their own observation of Nurses Week. The seven-day celebration of their profession began Thursday, May 6 and concludes Wednesday, May 12 — Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

Read more: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/05/10/at-capitol-rally-nurses-raise-their-voices-for-union-rights/