Email to Corewell Health East nurses:
The Teamsters have called for a strike authorization vote starting today and we wanted to provide you with an update about negotiations as you are considering your vote.
Important information for you to know
A strike authorization vote does not change Corewell Health’s commitment to bargain in good faith. Our goal has consistently been to reach a contract that provides fair and competitive terms for our nurses, so we can continue providing exceptional care to our patients without sacrificing our financial and operational sustainability.
Neither party has made a final offer, and significant work remains in negotiations. But we cannot do it alone. Last week, instead of identifying priorities and narrowing the issues, the Teamsters increasedtheir wage requests by $62.2M on top of the additional $2B already included in their economic proposals. This moves us in the wrong direction.
The Teamsters repeatedly confirmed they think our existing staffing grids and plans are appropriate, and we agree. We value our nurses’ input on staffingand have offered to establish a formal process for this purpose consistent with the principles of shared governance in addition to the other feedback opportunities that already exist.
The Teamsters have asked Corewell Health to deduct their union dues directly from our nurses’ paychecks. We initially responded that the Teamsters should collect their dues. The Teamsters again demanded we deduct the dues from nurses. As a compromise, we offered to process union dues through payroll if the union covers the associated administrative costs. If not, the union may collect dues directly from members.
Strike authorization is up to you – you can vote no, yes or choose not to participate in the voting process.
Working during a strike remains an individual choice. If a strike is called and you decide you want to continue working and caring for patients, it is your right to do so.
Below is some additional information about ongoing negotiations. You can always find the most updated information on chnegotiations.org.
Status of negotiations
Friday, Feb. 27 was the last day of scheduled negotiations and little progress was made at the table.
The Teamsters’ wage proposals increased by $62.2 million, on top of the additional $2 billion already included in their previous proposals.
Many of the Teamsters’ proposals have no market basis and are unrealistic. Compromises will need to be made to reach an agreement.
We proposed bargaining dates in March, but the Teamsters have not accepted those dates.
Staffing and union dues
The Teamsters repeatedly have confirmed they think our existing staffing grids and plans are appropriate, and we agree.
We value our nurses’ input on this important topic and have offered to establish a formal process for getting feedback consistent with the principles of shared governance.
The Teamsters are demanding that Corewell Health deduct union dues directly from our team members’ paychecks. We initially proposed that the Teamsters collect dues themselves. The Teamsters rejected this proposal, so we offered to deduct dues if the Teamsters agreed to cover our administrative costs.
The Teamsters have repeatedly proposed that Corewell Health fire nurses who do not pay dues. We have repeatedly rejected that proposal.
Strike authorization
We understand that calling for strike authorization is a bargaining tactic, but the outcome of the vote will not change Corewell Health’s commitment to bargaining in good faith.
Our goal remains to reach a contract that provides fair and competitive terms for our nurses, while not sacrificing our financial and operational sustainability so we can continue providing exceptional care to our patients.
We still believe talk of a strike is premature as there is a lot of work left to do, and there are no final offers on the table.
If you do not want to strike, you can vote “no” to strike authorization.
If a strike is called for, all Corewell Health East nurses will be empowered to continue working and caring for patients, regardless of how they voted in the strike authorization vote.
If you have questions, please reach out to your manager. We will share more information with you directly as negotiations progress, and we will post updates and FAQs on chnegotiations.org.