Rogers Behavioral Health Staff Protest Poor Conditions, Retaliation

Rogers Behavioral Health Workers Protest Over Working Conditions and Staffing Issues

At a recent press conference, staff members both past and present from Rogers Behavioral Health publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the current working conditions, citing issues such as inadequate patient care, significant understaffing, and retaliatory measures against employees who voiced concerns.

Speaking to the press, T’Anna Holst, a therapist at the Rogers West Allis Outpatient Treatment Center, remarked, “I’ve seen firsthand how much Rogers’ spiteful acts of retaliation have harmed the patients we serve. And, that’s why I’m speaking here today; because we can’t help our patients if we don’t stand up for what’s right.”

This year, six pro-union employees at the West Allis center, including Holst, faced termination. The controversy began in February when two nurse practitioners and the facility’s sole doctor were dismissed after declaring their intention to unionize with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). In April, the situation escalated when two therapists were fired for wearing costumes during their lunch break on the day of the union vote, along with a front desk attendant who allowed the previously terminated workers to enter the facility to vote.

Currently, employees, including therapists, nurses, and mental health technicians, report that doctor consultations are exclusively conducted via iPad due to the absence of on-site doctors, exacerbating the issues of understaffing and patient care.

“I’ve worked at Rogers for nearly two years, and I’ve never seen us so desperately understaffed,” Holst stated, highlighting the dire staffing shortages. “None of the fired workers have been replaced. When a patient goes missing, we often have no one to try to find them. When a therapist goes on vacation, we have to combine our therapy groups because there’s no one left to cover for them. It’s no hands on deck.”

Instead of collaborating with its staff to enhance patient care, Rogers has reportedly allocated substantial financial resources in an attempt to halt unionizing efforts, which includes a legal challenge to reverse the results of the April 22 union election. The organization claims that the election was compromised due to the costume-wearing incident involving two workers.

Efforts to discipline the workers further included filing complaints against their professional licenses, which were dismissed by Wisconsin’s licensing board. The board found no evidence of violations of state administrative codes or statutes.

The demonstration was bolstered by the presence of Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Ingrid Walker-Henry and Milwaukee Area Labor Council President Pam Fendt, both of whom wore capes in solidarity with the workers.

Fendt shared her thoughts, stating, “I’ve been the Labor Council President in Milwaukee for nine years, and I can say that the actions of Rogers management have been the most egregious reaction to an organizing drive that I have witnessed. These workers do everything they can for patients. It’s unconscionable that Rogers has taken so many actions and spent so much money to violate workers’ rights to form a union…. These workers are strong. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union. I know these workers, and I know they will stick together and fight until there’s a contract. And members of the Labor Council in Milwaukee will stand beside them in solidarity.”

The event garnered attention from several media outlets, including CBS-58, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and the Wisconsin Examiner.

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