Steady Progress
We continue to make progress at the bargaining table. Today we reached a tentative agreement on No Strike and No Lockout, which prevents strikes, slowdowns, refusals to work, pickets, boycotts and other similar activities by the union or represented team members during the duration of the contract. It also prevents represented team members from being locked out by Corewell Health during the duration of the contract.
The parties also discussed and made progress on other non-economic proposals, including union security, seniority, union representatives, bulletin boards, grievance procedures, and discharge and discipline.
Looking forward…
We are about halfway through our bargaining sessions for the year and know you are interested in the overall status of negotiations and what to expect over the coming months. We will be open and transparent throughout this process, and our communications about bargaining will be accurate and verifiable.
The Teamsters recently posted on social media and elsewhere that “Corewell Health is dragging its feet” in negotiations. This is not true. It is also directly contrary to the statements the Teamsters made today during negotiations that:
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“We are exactly where we should be”
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“I am proud of where we are today”
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“Nobody’s dragging their feet”
The Teamsters acknowledged it took significant time for them to prepare for bargaining given the size and complexity of a bargaining unit of 10,000+ nurses. They needed time to survey team members about the issues to be negotiated. We appreciate this perspective and agree it is important for the Teamsters to hear from our nurses.
However, it is also important to be clear that Corewell Health has been timely and consistent at every step of this process. Consider:
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Bargaining could not begin until the Teamsters provided us with dates that they were available/able to start, which they provided in late March 2025. Corewell Health promptly responded and confirmed 8 bargaining dates.
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The first two bargaining sessions were cancelled by the Teamsters. Corewell Health has not cancelled any sessions.
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The time between sessions has not been utilized by the Teamsters to provide responses to proposals, despite committing they would do so. This has slowed down the bargaining process considerably.
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Corewell Health advised the Teamsters in February that its lead negotiator would not be available in October for bargaining due to a prior commitment. Corewell Health offered three additional dates for bargaining in November.
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In healthcare, it takes an average of 528 days to complete the first union contract. In our case that would mean a contract would be finalized in mid-2026. While we are hopeful we can reach a contract by the end of the year, we also want to take the time to get it right for our nurses, patients, and community.
In addition, we are still waiting for the Teamsters to make economic proposals, including wages and benefits. We believe these are key proposals that will be of significant interest to our bargaining unit team members and look forward to the Teamsters providing information so that we can begin these discussions.
We remain committed to this collaborative process. We’re grateful for the continued effort and care shown by all involved and look forward to advancing these important conversations together in our next session on November 3.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our patients, your colleagues and values that make our organization strong.