“High training standards for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) were protected yesterday when the Republican-led attempt failed to override Governor Evers’ veto of Assembly Bill 76, a reckless and dangerous bill to slash training hours for CNAs,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “In a party line vote of 63-36, all Assembly Democrats did the right thing for patients, and quality care by voting no and standing behind our Governor. Certified Nursing Assistants, mostly women and women of color, are sadly some of the lowest paid workers who we call on every day to do critical lifesaving work caring for the frail, elderly, and sick. The only way to address our chronic CNA worker shortage is to value our CNAs by increasing pay and benefits, improving working conditions, and ensuring sure every CNA has the freedom to join a union. It’s just commonsense, better pay and benefits will help retain current CNAs and recruit new employees to the profession.”
