A group of about 30 nurses from Corewell Health shouted, “Who are we? Teamsters!” On Friday, they traveled from the union’s headquarters on Trumbull Street in Detroit, where former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa once negotiated collective bargaining agreements before his disappearance in 1975, to the National Labor Relations Board on Michigan Avenue. marched towards the meeting.
There they delivered three Banker’s Boxes filled with cards signed by thousands of registered nurses from all eight of Detroit’s Metropolitan Hospitals and its Southfield Service Center.
They say these cards are available to approximately 9,600 registered nurses, including charge nurses, who work on a full-time, part-time, temporary or flex basis at hospitals in Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe and Royal Oak. It is said that this shows substantial support for unionization. , Taylor, Trenton and Troy, Wayne.
A committee of the Michigan Teamsters Joint Council No. 43 unionized as “Nurses for Nurses” to negotiate issues such as nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, attrition, wages, and salaries. They said it would allow them to have more say and give them more of a say. advantage.
“This is the largest Teamsters organizing effort in 50 years,” said Michigan Teamsters President Kevin Moore, who met with nurses in Hoffa’s famous war room Friday morning.
“Let’s take this home to the nurses at Corewell. … I’m so proud of each and every one of you.”
Teamsters Joint Council organizer Dave Hughes said if the effort is successful, the group will become one of the largest registered nurses unions in the state.
“This is historic,” he said.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Sarah Johnson, 39, who now works as a registered nurse in radiation oncology at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.
Johnson said her job was cut after Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health merged in 2022 to form Corewell, the state’s largest health system.
“I was one of the critical care educators at Royal Oak Beaumont until last year,” she said. “Due to the merger, budgets started getting slashed and my job was eliminated. … A few months after I was laid off, I found another job. So now, at Royal I work in radiation oncology at Oak.” Beaumont. ”
Her support for unionizing was built on that experience.
“We were prepared,” he said, noting that patient care has been affected by the nursing cuts. “My eyes were open and I’ve been running with it ever since.”
Amanda Lane, 36, of Trenton, a registered nurse at Corewell Health Wayne Hospital, is seeking stronger wage, benefits and job protections not only for herself but for generations of nurses to come. He said he wanted to.
“I want future nurses to have retirement security,” she said. “I want to ensure a safe patient-to-staff ratio. I feel like we’re lying to our patients about what they expect from their health care and what we can provide.” Because there are too few patients.”
Lane started working as a nurse in 2022, inspired by the care nurses gave her when her son was born.
“I’m the first in my family to go on to get a college degree,” she said. “I wanted to teach my kids that no matter what happens, you can get what you want, so becoming a nurse was a big deal.
“Then when I actually started my career as a nurse and saw that we were providing more and more support to patients who were unsupported and had fewer resources, it was very disappointing. ”
Early Friday morning, nurses, many wearing T-shirts that read “Nurses Organize Nurses,” gathered inside Corewell’s Southfield headquarters to hand-deliver their petitions to the company for recognition. Ta.
Debra Miracle, a registered nurse at Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital, said her petition was filed with Kelly Sadler, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Corewell Health in southeast Michigan. He handed her a manila envelope.
Miracle said that when she began her career as a nurse, she worked at a small community hospital known as Botsford General, where managers “took care of us. I knew he cared about me,” he said. That perception faded a bit when Botsford was absorbed into Beaumont Health in the first round of consolidation in 2014, she said. And when Beaumont merged with Spectrum, that feeling was completely lost.
“To Corewell, we are nothing,” she said.
If the nurses’ petition is approved by the NLRB, an election will be held to determine whether a majority of Corewell’s registered nurses want to form a union. If a majority supports unionization, the NLRB would certify and Mr. Corewell would be required to participate in collective bargaining.
Corewell Health told the Free Press in an emailed statement:
“We are proud of our nurses and respect their work. We have considered the union’s petition, but like the Teamsters’ previous petition, it is legally invalid. I believe there is.”
The statement does not elaborate on legality.
“We respect the right of our team members to consider joining a union. However, our ability to provide quality care to our patients and create a positive environment is dependent on our direct interaction with nurses. We believe that this is best achieved through collaborative relationships.”
Barbara Douglas, 63, of Troy, who has been a registered nurse for 20 years and now works in the operating room at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital, said the idea of unionizing is to help future generations of nurses. It will not only improve working conditions, but also improve quality. Medical care for the people of metro Detroit.
“Ever since I became a nurse, I have always believed that nurses are the ones who will change the way health care is done in this country. This is our small step in changing the way health care is done in this field.” Douglas said.
More information: Corewell nurses rally to organize with Teamsters union
Warren resident Lisa Bergos Pastu, 58, who has worked at Royal Oak Hospital for 20 years and helped launch the organizing effort about a year ago, agrees.
“We need this. Our community needs this,” said Pastu, who retired in March. “We want to care for our communities the way we should, and we deserve to be compensated for our work and dedication.
“Nurses at Corewell Health will stand up and say enough is enough. We want a seat at the table, and we won’t do anything less.”
She hopes the organizing efforts of Corewell nurses will light a fire in nurses everywhere.
“They’re going to look at all this and say, ‘You know what? We can do this, too.'” And perhaps it’s the unions that will fight the big corporations of tomorrow, just like the car companies of old. It may be the only way possible. ”
Contact Kristen Shamus at kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press.
