A strike by nurses at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Mich., has entered its third day.
The roughly 700 registered nurses at the hospital are represented by Teamsters Local 332. The union and hospital began negotiations for a new labor contract in the spring.
On Aug. 21, 93% of the union’s nurses and case workers rejected Henry Ford Health’s offer, triggering a union strike notice. The local said it is seeking improved nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, higher wages and better working conditions, according to a Sept. 1 Facebook post.
A Henry Ford Health spokesperson told Becker’s that hospital leaders plan to meet with Teamsters representatives Sept. 5. The parties have met more than 45 times so far, including with a federal mediator, according to the system.
The hospital is fully staffed, with contract nurses filling in during the strike, the spokesperson added.
“We also gave Genesys nurses the opportunity to choose to work through [the] strike. More than 50 chose to do so,” the spokesperson said. “We know the Teamsters say they’re striking because of unsafe staffing ratios. We can report that since the strike has begun, we’ve seen the strongest nurse-to-patient ratios in a long time.”
Under the contract that expired Aug. 20, employees were eligible “for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day, which may incentivize call-offs and decrease the number of nurses available to care for patients,” the spokesperson added. The hospital reported a 22.9% year-over-year increase in call-offs among Teamsters employed at the hospital, according to the statement.
In August, the hospital reached a labor agreement with support services staff represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3518. The contract covers 370 workers.
