🧑‍⚕️ St. Mary’s nurses vote for union

🧑‍⚕️ St. Mary’s Nurses Vote To Unionize

• An overwhelming number of nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison voted to unionize last week. Service Employees International Union’s Wisconsin Chapter said 89% of respondents — over 500 nurses — voted to have SEIU represent them in negotiating a contract with hospital management.
• Pay equity and staffing levels are key issues the nurses say they want addressed in their labor contract.
• Since the nurses filed for an election on May 1, they say SSM Health management engaged in widespread union-busting tactics, including taking down union fliers and ordering employees not to talk about the union movement. [Cap Times]

🏫 What Do You Want To See in the Next UW Chancellor?

• A UW-Madison search committee has scheduled two virtual listening sessions on June 15 and 22 to gather feedback from the community on what they want to see in the next university chancellor.
• Former Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin left UW May 15 to take the top job at Columbia University in New York. Eric Wilcots, the dean of UW’s College of Letters & Science is serving as interim chancellor until a permanent replacement is found.
• Can’t make the sessions? You can fill out a survey by June 23 with your thoughts. [UW-Madison, 🔒WSJ]

⚛️ City Council Approves Loan for Fusion Research Project

• The Madison City Council OK’d a $2.8 million loan for Madison’s Realta Fusion to build a research facility on property once part of the Oscar Mayer Plant at 2099 Roth St.
• Realta Fusion, which currently has about 40 employees, wants to scale up and build a 200,000-square-foot research and development facility known as “The Realta Forge.” Madison is currently a top contender to host the facility but the company has not made any final decision yet. The facility would be large enough to hire 200 employees and develop a prototype plasma future device. [InBusiness Madison, Realta Fusion, Cap Times]

Hundreds of people lined up on the street on May 6 to get the first look inside the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, the $32 million building at 671 W. Badger Rd.

But the celebration continues long after that grand opening, as the center establishes itself as a Black-led space for gathering, learning, and creating together, with performance spaces, art galleries, and makerspaces.

The center was the brainchild of Rev. Dr. Alex Gee, pastor at Fountain of Life Covenant Church next door, and his sister Lilada Gee. Alex Gee sees the space as sort of the opposite of a Black history museum — while the center would honor the past, it would focus on the future.

The architectural design of the building uses principles of the Black aesthetic to create a welcoming and aspirational feeling, and the collaborations and creative sparks that would result from creating spaces for Black Madisonians to come together.

The City Cast Madison team went last week to the center (which has an excellent podcast recording studio, by the way), where host Bianca Martin talked to Alex Gee about seeing his vision for the space become a reality, and what comes next.

The center will start hosting walking tours following its official opening July 1. Here’s a peek inside the center and all it has to offer Madison and the greater Wisconsin community.

Performance Spaces

The center features two theaters that can also be used as multipurpose spaces. The larger theater has room for between 191 and 361 people, depending on seating arrangements, perfect for live performances, film festival screenings, cultural celebrations, and more.

A smaller theater can hold between 113 and 239 people, and is ideal for wedding receptions, banquets and corporate events. The building also contains art gallery spaces to showcase Black art.

Innovation Center

Membership is required to enter these meeting rooms and co-working spaces, where Black talent and business community members can come together to collaborate and support each other.

Club Afrique

This intimate Black-designed lounge is designed for weddings, concerts, and other special events, with access to the center’s Black Porch Deck overlooking Madison.