In one of the largest union elections in 20 years, nearly 10,000 Corewell Health nurses across southeast Michigan have voted to unionize, marking a significant milestone in healthcare labor organizing.
Friday (Nov. 15) night, chants and cheers filled Nemo’s in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood as nurses gathered to celebrate the historic outcome.
“Who are we? Teamsters! What do we want? A contract!”
For Corewell nurses, this victory is about more than just representation; it’s about transforming the healthcare industry.
“I think it really is going to set a precedent for nurses across the state and across the country,” said Brandella Thomas, RN. “If we can do this, everyone can.”
“We knew we needed an organization that had the grit and backbone to stand up to a corporation like Corewell Health,” said Barbara Douglas, RN.
Nurses have been calling for improved working conditions, fair wages, better healthcare and retirement benefits, and appropriate staffing levels.
They believe unionizing gives them the power to make meaningful changes.
“We’re going to have one collective voice, almost 10,000 nurses strong,” said Sarah Johnson, a nurse in Royal Oak. “That is really going to give us some power to make demands to improve healthcare in Michigan.”
The election followed what Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien described as Corewell’s “most expensive and aggressive union-busting campaign” to date.
In a statement to Local 4, Corewell responded, saying, in part:
“We value all our nurses and are committed to moving forward together, united by our mission to provide high-quality care to our patients and the communities we serve.”
For these newly unionized nurses, patient care remains the top priority.
“We want to make sure that we can do the best for our patients,” Johnson said.
Douglas echoed her sentiment, saying, “We want to be able to do that with the nursing staff and ancillary staff that allows us to do it!”
---> Previous coverage: Corewell Health nurses push for Teamsters Union amid overwork concerns in Michigan
