ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Nearly 9,000 nurses at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan have voted to authorize a potential strike after months of stalled contract negotiations over wages and healthcare benefits.
The nurses, who unionized with Teamsters about a year and a half ago, are pushing for their first contract since forming the union. The authorization vote came as roughly 9,000 of the 10,000 unionized Corewell Health Teamsters nurses backed the measure.
Lori Greenlee, a registered nurse who has worked at Corewell Health's Royal Oak campus for 26 years and serves on the bargaining team, said some progress has been made on patient safety issues, but wages and healthcare benefits remain unresolved sticking points.
"We've been fighting for this for two years now," Greenlee said. "Us nurses, we just keep going and going and going and then finally we have to say OK, we have to start thinking about ourselves. I cannot wait until we have a contract."
Registered nurse Judy Hayes, who has worked in the area for decades, said the back-and-forth over a contract has stretched close to a year and that striking is not the goal.
"Absolutely not. Our goal is not to strike," Hayes said.
Hayes said the healthcare coverage she currently receives falls far short of what she needs.
"My insurance is so bad I can't even use it, and if I use it, I'll need a loan," Hayes said.
Registered nurse Elisse Beausoleil shares those concerns about compensation and the nurses' commitment to their patients.
"I don't think up until now, we've been being taken very seriously," Beausoleil said. "We want a competitive wage for this region in Southeast Michigan. We want to show up every day and take care of the patients in this community."
Registered nurse Katelyn Savage said she believes Corewell does not employ enough nurses to safely manage its patient load, and she hopes the health system will address what she sees as a patient safety concern.
"I want to see that they're getting the care they need in a timely manner," Savage said.
A practice picket was held as a show of strength ahead of upcoming negotiations planned for next week. The nurses hope a deal can be reached, so the health system does not need to bring in travel nurses in the event of a strike.
7 News Detroit has reached out to Corewell Health for comment and have not heard back as of the time of this report.
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