A sign at an SEIU Wisconsin rally for nurses in contract talks at UnityPoint Health-Meriter hospital. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)

Union nurses at UnityPoint Health-Meriter hospital in Madison rallied Tuesday, warning that they would strike if they can’t reach a satisfactory labor agreement in their current contract talks.

The rally was held in advance of a bargaining session scheduled for Wednesday between the hospital and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents about 800 nurses at the hospital.

The nurses are currently working without a contract after their previous agreement expired March 16 and was extended to March 23.

The union is highlighting its demands for written language addressing safety issues, said Pat Raes, SEIU Wisconsin president and a nurse for 35 years at Meriter.

“We are fighting for the safety of every last person there. And part of that in today’s society when rules are being turned upside down, inside out, and backwards, means that we have to find ways to make sure that our safety is codified,” Raes said at the Tuesday afternoon rally. “And one of those ways to do that is with having a contract that talks about safety.”

Sherry Casali, chief nursing executive and vice president of patient care at the hospital, said in a statement Tuesday that the hospital management is “committed to working with SEIU WI to address their concerns through a fair contract that both parties can support.”

The statement said the hospital has implemented a number of safety and security measures and has competitive salaries for nurses.

 Raes said the hospital has safety plans, but that nurses want those plans to go farther, including being enshrined in the labor agreement. She said the union wants to see guaranteed staffing ratios in the name of patient safety as well.

“We are preparing if needed to move forward to a strike,” Raes said. “These nurses are ready to strike. Let me tell you — they are not afraid. But we do not want to strike if we don’t have to.”

To date, the union has not issued a formal strike notice.