West Allis nurse says 3 employees were fired for unionizing at Rogers Behavioral Health

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's been more than a week since three healthcare workers say they were fired from Rogers Behavioral Health for trying to unionize.

"They just let us go," said Stephani Lohman, a nurse practitioner. 

Lohman says she's still in shock that she and her two co-workers were fired after presenting a union petition to the Rogers Behavioral Health Clinic in West Allis.

"A lot of people felt passionately about the union and trying to make the lives of our patients better," said Lohman. "Really that was our goal."

Lohman says she's worked in healthcare for more than a decade. She says she and other mental health providers felt overworked at the clinic and unable to give patients proper care, so they moved to unionize.

"We just wanted to be able to provide pretty good care, like we aren’t greedy or wild people," said Lohman. "We are just thinking they don’t give us enough time to do our job, so we need more time."

In response, the National Union of Healthcare Workers filed a federal complaint, saying the three workers were fired in retaliation.

"We're stunned that in Wisconsin they are taking the opposite approach and actually have illegally fired three workers and are hiring union busters and spending huge dollars that could be better spent on patient care and access issues," said Sal Rosselli, president emeritus for the National Union of Healthcare workers. "So, we are stunned by that,"

Milwaukee County Supervisors are also stepping up alongside the NUHW, demanding the employees' jobs be reinstated, all union busting tactics be stopped, and for them to negotiate in good faith.

"They are pushing folks that have been salaried all their careers into hourly workers, to call them off when patient census is down and send them home to spend less money, or forcing patients into group therapy as opposed to individual therapy," said Rosselli.

Rosselli says there will be a formal hearing this Monday with the National Labor Relations Board and Rogers Behavioral Health.

CBS 58 reached out to Rogers Behavioral Health multiple times for a statement or comment and they did not respond.