Corewell nurses rally as they aim to organize with Teamsters union

Registered nurses held microphones Friday on a stage set up in the back of a shiny red semitruck with "Teamsters" painted on its side. Sometimes tearfully, they spoke out about short staffing and job cuts at Corewell Health hospitals, low wages and benefits with such high out-of-pocket costs, they said they can't afford their own medical care.

Some wore navy blue scrubs and T-shirts that said "Nurses inspire nurses to organize" as they addressed a crowd of about 150 people rallying in a parking lot on Rosa Parks Boulevard in Detroit to build momentum to unionize all eight of the health system's metro Detroit hospitals.

"Seven months ago, a group of nurses at Corewell Health started talking about organizing again, and seven months ago, the nurses at Corewell Health decided to stand up to the corporate greed and say no more," said Lisa Vergos, 58, of Warren, a registered nurse who said she retired in March from the Royal Oak hospital, but helped to spearhead the unionization effort that began last year. Though she's now retired, she said she intends to see it through.

"No more cutbacks that result in deliberately short-staffing nursing units. No more sudden job eliminations with no job security. No more lack of support staff, faulty equipment and lack of resources that we need to do our job safely. No more understaffed units and ... overworked nurses. ... No more putting our licenses on the line every time we clock in because working conditions put staff and patients at risk every day. Corewell nurses are saying enough is enough. No more."

Dave Hughes, a Teamsters organizer, said cards supporting unionization have been signed by about 47% of all the registered nurses on all eight hospital campuses. The aim, he said, is to drive up support even further so the Teamsters can file with the National Labor Relations Board to call a vote to unionize.

"I believe this will be accomplished next month, and we'll be prepared to submit a petition for election," Hughes said.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, also took to the semitruck stage Friday, voicing her support for the nurses.

"When unions come together, when you all come together and fight ... you (ensure that) you get paid a decent wage, that you get health care that you could afford, that you have benefits that make sense, that you have work hours that make sense," Dingell said.

"How many times have you all worked 12-hour shifts and then they say, 'Can you stay a little longer? Can you come in tomorrow? Can you give me an extra day?' And you want to do it for the patients, and yet, you know what? We're human. ... Nurses deserve to be taken care of. They deserve a union. We have got to have your backs and we do have your back."

The nurses work at the eight southeastern Michigan hospitals that once belonged to the former Beaumont Health. Beaumont joined with Spectrum Health in 2022 to form Corewell Health, the state's largest hospital system.

There are about 9,000 nurses across the eight hospitals, Corewell Health spokesperson Mark Geary said Friday. He also issued the following statement: "We are aware of union organizing activity taking place at some of our hospitals. We respect team members’ right to choose to be represented by a union or to remain union free. We will continue to provide team members with information about unions, how unionization affects health care organizations, and our strong preference to maintain a direct working relationship with the incredible team members who serve our patients and communities."

Becky Smola, 40, of Garden City, said she has worked at the Dearborn hospital since 2015, and didn't think conditions could get worse than they were during the coronavirus pandemic. But, she said, it did get worse after the Beaumont and Spectrum health systems came together to form Corewell.

One worker showed the Free Press his insurance card, which listed the deductible as $1,300 per year, per family with an out-of-pocket maximum of $18,200.

"We are living paycheck to paycheck," Smola said. "The insurance out-of-pocket is tripled from last year. ... We continue to pay for this insurance, which goes directly back to Corewell, who owns 94% of the insurance company. ... The ones on top don't have to fear getting sick and not being able to pay for their treatments while we can't even afford our maintenance drugs. This, to me, is a pandemic in itself."

Nurses at the following eight hospitals are involved in the unionization efforts:

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Farmington Hills

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Trenton

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Wayne

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Troy

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Dearborn

• Corewell Health 's Beaumont Hospital Taylor

• Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak

Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Corewell Health nurses rally as they begin to organize with Teamsters