Appleton-area Medical Team Can Take New Jobs, Judge Won’t Force Them to Stay

An Outagamie County judge is not going to stop a team of medical workers from taking new jobs.

Outagamie County Judge Mark McGinnis on Monday refused to continue an injunction that would have stopped seven former employees at ThedaCare from leaving.

ThedaCare asked the judge to intervene this month, complaining that losing the seven members of their interventional radiology and cardiovascular team would leave stroke patients in the Appleton area without care.

Judge Mark McGinnis ruled on Monday that the argument didn’t carry enough weight to force the seven to stay.

Technician Kailey Young testified on Monday that she left ThedaCare for a new job at Ascension Northeast because it was a better offer.

She said her new job had “life changing money,” and a better "work-life balance.”

Other nurses and techs told the judge the same thing.

ThedaCare accused Ascension of “poaching” the team.

Ascension maintained that it simply offered team members opportunities, and they accepted.

Judge Mark McGinnis Original Temporary Injunction

Judge Mark McGinnis said he originally gave ThedaCare a temporary injunction that stopped the seven team members from leaving in an attempt to allow the two hospitals to work things out.

He said in his ruling on Monday that ending the disagreement in court is “sad.”