SEIU seriously weakened by budget-repair law

The new state budget-repair law, which removed most of the collective bargaining ability of public workers, contains two provisions that weaken one of the country's most politically active unions: the Service Employees International Union. The provisions affect about half of the 15,000 people in SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. They include 1,900 nurses and other workers at UW Hospital and Clinics, which does not directly receive state funds, and about 5,500 independent home care workers who had a pending contract with the state. The union also represents about 1,100 nurses and others who work for the state in mental health hospitals, corrections and other areas. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/25)