For Immediate Release
Contact: Jamie Lucas, (720) 621-3689
May 6, 2020
Nurses’ Message on the First Day of Nurses’ Week: We Need More than “Thanks.”
Pay Us, Protect Us, Take Actions that Respect Us.
Nearly three months after first confirmed case in Wisconsin, nurses on the frontlines of pandemic still need real support from healthcare executives, lawmakers
Milwaukee, WI – The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP) renews its call for basic respect and dignity for the nurses and other health professionals at the forefront of this public health crisis. Nurses need real action this Nurses’ Week, not hollow “thank you” messages from their bosses.
Healthcare workers are on the front lines of this battle, and the health of our community depends on their ability to do their jobs. As wealthy corporate healthcare executives irresponsibly join the call to reopen our society, their nurses at the bedside are still in dire need of support, including hazard pay, adequate protective equipment and infection control policies, no-cost medical coverage and testing for COVID-19 illnesses, and childcare. Almost two months ago, WFNHP made these demands public and thousands of Wisconsinites have signed on to show their support. Unfortunately, those in a real position to take this important action have failed to do so in full.
Jeff Weber, RN of 25 years and President of WFNHP said, “the time has always been right to pay nurses and healthcare professionals more fairly, to give them the tools they need to do their job safely, and to allow them to take care of their families. Now, it is absolutely dire that these simple needs are met. For months, corporate healthcare took essentially its normal course in responding to this crisis: bottom lines determining the fate of the frontline. We deserve better - nurses, health professionals, and all of us across Wisconsin. That’s why our union is proud to support the call for a Healthcare Heroes legislative package and call on every lawmaker in Wisconsin to emphatically support such a bill.”
WFNHP is joining with other unions and healthcare advocates in the state to pass legislation to provide additional protections and pay for healthcare workers on the frontlines of this crisis. While specific details are not finalized, one thing is clear: frontline heroes deserve action commensurate to the praise bestowed upon them. Without action, such a designation is empty.
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Wisconsin FNHP represents nurses & health professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin and is the local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers healthcare division, which represents more than 130,000 nurses and health professionals in a variety of disciplines and settings.