Workers to protest Rogers Behavioral Health Fundraising gala, as Rogers refuses to recognize union election after illegal firings
Workers, including therapists and nurses who Rogers illegally fired for their union support, will protest Thursday, Nov. 12, outside Rogers’ “Celebrate the Light” Gala in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisc. — Mental health workers will travel from as far as Madison on Thursday, November 12 to protest outside the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, where Rogers Behavioral Health is hosting its annual “Celebrate the Light” Gala, featuring Olympic Gymnast Laurie Hernandez.
The annual fundraiser comes at the end of a year in which Rogers has spent hundreds of thousands of patient care dollars in Wisconsin trying to stop workers from forming unions at its West Allis and Madison treatment centers and then trying to overturn the election in West Allis.
Workers, who will be joined by community and labor leaders, will hold a candlelight vigil outside the hotel. They are calling on Rogers executives to stop retaliating against pro-union workers, begin contract negotiations as required by federal law, and recognize the union vote in West Allis, Wisc., where workers voted 53-4 in April to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
“Nobody should be celebrating Rogers when its leaders have turned their backs on patients and workers,” said T’Anna Holst, a therapist at Rogers in West Allis. “Rogers should be a light for people in Wisconsin trying to get their lives back together, but right now we’re confronting the darkness of severely understaffed services because Rogers executives fired our coworkers for supporting our union.”
WHO/WHAT: Dozens of Rogers workers along with labor and community leaders holding a protest and candlelight vigil outside Rogers’ Celebrate the Light Gala.
WHERE/WHEN: Protest starts at 5:15 p.m. Gala starts at 5:30 p.m. Protesters will be outside the Pfister Hotel, 424 East Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
Workers at Rogers in West Allis and Mandison, who include therapists, nurses and behavioral health technicians, began organizing with the National Union of Healthcare Workers last year after Rogers eliminated one-on-one therapy for adults, doubled caseloads for clinicians and started using artificial intelligence – instead of licensed therapists – to triage patients, resulting in a sharp increase in inappropriate referrals for care.
Although Rogers employees in California had already joined the union and negotiated strong contracts, Rogers retaliated harshly against workers in its home state of Wisconsin.
In February, Rogers fired two nurse practitioners and the only doctor at West Allis after they and several coworkers informed managers that they were forming a union and asked for voluntary recognition. In April, shortly after workers voted overwhelmingly to join NUHW, Rogers fired two therapists for wearing costumes during their lunch break on the day of the union election, as well as the front desk attendant for letting the three previously fired workers inside the facility to vote, which was their right under federal labor law.
Last month, National Labor Relations Board Regional Director Jennifer Hadsall issued a complaint against Rogers. She found that Rogers had fired the six workers at West Allis because they “supported and assisted the union” and scheduled a December hearing, which could lead to the workers being offered their jobs back and back pay.
Hadsell also rejected Rogers’ objections to the 53-4 vote in West Allis to unionize, and certified NUHW as the union representative at the treatment center. However, Rogers is appealing that ruling to the 5-member NLRB Board in Washington, D.C. Rogers has not contested the union vote in Madison, but is still refusing to begin contract negotiations in violation of federal labor law. As of last March, Labor Lab found that Rogers had already spent more than $375,000 on outside attorneys and consultants trying to stop the union drives.
“It’s disheartening that Rogers is hosting a fundraiser while they simultaneously throw an exorbitant amount of money at lawyers trying to deny us our right to bargain as a union,” said Erin Quinlan, a behavioral specialist for Rogers in Madison. “Patient care is being severely impacted at Rogers. My colleagues and I are going to keep doing everything in our power to ensure we provide treatment that is safe, effective, and prioritizes the wellbeing of the people we serve, and that includes holding Rogers accountable.”
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The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement representing 19,000 healthcare workers, including nearly 6,000 mental health professionals in California, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania.
