STATE OF WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Josh Kaul Attorney General
114 East, State Capitol
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857 608/266-1221
TTY 1-800-947-3529
June 2, 2022
OAG–01–22
The Honorable Tony Evers Governor
State of Wisconsin
115 East, State Capitol Madison, WI 53702
Dear Governor Evers:
¶ 1. You have requested an opinion regarding the power of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority (the “Authority”) to voluntarily engage in collective bargaining with an organization chosen by a majority of nurses it employs. Your request notes that the Authority is not mentioned in chapter 111 of the Wisconsin Statutes, which governs employment relations and collective bargaining. If that lack of express reference means that the Authority is not covered by chapter 111’s collective bargaining provisions, you posit that the Authority is not prohibited from voluntarily engaging in bargaining, as state law would neither require nor prohibit it.