After more than a year ofnegotiations, roughly 10,000 registered nurses at Corewell Health East ratified their first contract with the state's largest health system — negotiating a 15% pay raise over the course of a three-year contract.
The nurses, who organized as Teamsters Local 2024, announced Thursday, Aug. 20, that they also will get a one-time, lump-sum payment on a previously withheld wage increase. The agreement also includes the creation of a safe staffing committee that will allow nurses to confront management directly about concerns over nurse-to-patient ratios as well as the option to choose a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) health insurance plan, and other workplace protections.
“This contract is a significant step towards securing
a better future for nurses, thus making a better future for our patients,” said Michael Browning, an interventional radiology nurse at Corewell Health East’s William Beaumont University Hospital, in a statement. “After 32 years of nursing, finally having a seat at the table is amazing. I am so proud to have been a part of this victory.”
The contract covers registered nurses at eight southeastern Michigan hospitals in Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak, Taylor, Trenton, Troy and Wayne as well as the Corewell Health Southfield Service Center and dozens of outpatient clinics.
Mark Geary, a spokesperson for Corewell Health East, said the health system's leaders are pleased its registered nurses agreed to ratify the contract.
"This contract reflects a shared commitment to supporting nurses while continuing to meet the needs of the patients and communities we serve," Geary said.
Peter Finn, director of the Teamsters Public Services and Health Care Division, said the safe staffing component written into the Corewell Health Teamsters contract is key.
“Less than one third of nursing contracts nationwide mention the words ‘safe staffing,’ and yet, Corewell Health East Teamsters were able to secure an entire article on staffing in their first contract,” Finn said in a statement. “Workers get more as Teamsters, and we are excited to see more nurses follow the Corewell nurses’ lead and organize with North America’s strongest union.”
Corewell Health East registered nurses voted three-to-one to organize in 2024, which was among the largest National Labor Relations Board elections in decades.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Corewell registered nurses ratify 1st contract with 15% pay increases
