MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Hundreds of nurses and other workers at McLaren Macomb Hospital walked off the job Monday morning.
Hospital workers, part of OPEIU Local 40, are picketing against McLaren Macomb Medical Center as part of a planned three-day unfair labor practice strike.
Workers walked off the job on Monday, July 7, at 7 a.m. The strike is expected to last until Thursday, July 10, at 6:59 a.m.
“We have been having great difficulty giving quality care; we have great staffing issues to provide that to the community,” said Maria Szejbach, chief steward of OPEIU Local 40. “This is our way of saying enough is enough. We struggle to do our jobs every day, and that is why healthcare is suffering with workers.”
“Despite OPEIU Local 40 taking nursing and support service staff away from patient care as a negotiating tactic, McLaren Macomb is prepared to remain fully open and operational for the duration of any strike.
A strike — though incredibly unfortunate — is a contingency the hospital has prepared for. While the hospital would prefer to settle negotiations and reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the union has demonstrated no willingness to discuss reasonable and sustainable terms. Fully licensed and qualified nursing and support staff have been secured to ensure a safe environment to provide patient-focused care is maintained. Nursing leadership has spent the holiday weekend leading orientations of replacement staff personnel to ensure minimal — if any — disruption to patient care when the union’s strike begins.
Patients with scheduled procedures, outpatient services, or upcoming appointments should attend as planned. If they have any questions, they are welcome to call their provider’s office.
OPEIU’s strike begins 7 a.m. on July 7, with the support service unit conducting a three-day strike and returning to work effective 6:59 a.m. July 10. To secure the registered nurses required to maintain safe care in the hospital during a strike immediately after a holiday weekend, the hospital had to commit to paying the replacement nurses for a minimum of five days. Regrettably, this has left McLaren with no other option than to inform the nurses’ unit that they are prohibited from returning to work until 7 a.m., Sunday, July 12.
The union’s decision to take its members on strike is a truly regrettable development, considering the hospital put forth an offer that includes a wage increase that creates a market-leading compensation package, nationally benchmarked staffing ratios, and qualified benefits.
Highlights of latest offer:
Rebuffing that proposal, the union insisted on unrealistic terms that place the hospital’s long-term stability in jeopardy considering the newly passed legislation making cuts to Medicaid and health care providers’ reimbursements.
The union has deployed another common and contentious bargaining tactic by filing multiple unfair labor practice complaints as a basis for this strike. McLaren staunchly refutes any such allegations as meritless and purposefully regressive, hindering negotiations. It is the hospital’s belief that this strike is based on economic factors, which is illegal in the bargaining process.
McLaren Macomb sincerely respects, appreciates, and values all of its team members and their roles in the care process. It is regrettable that the union has placed the hospital in this untenable position, but its overall commitment to serving the community is unwavering and will not be deterred by the union’s irresponsible negotiating tactics."
McLaren Macomb
