Lynne Terry/States Newsroom
Nurses from the Teamsters Union Local 2024 are pursuing an unfair labor practice charge, alleging Corewell Health East has refused to bargain over an agreement to ensure bargaining committee members would not have to use their paid time off for collective bargaining dates.
“For the past six months, Corewell has been forcing Teamsters nurses to exhaust their accrued paid time off before allowing them to use unpaid leave for negotiation dates,” Mike Smith, lead negotiator and trustee of Local 2024, said in a statement. “This is another attempt to target and attack unionized workers who want to fight for fair treatment. We will not back down until we get these nurses what they deserve.”
According to the union, July negotiations brought progress, with the committee securing a memorandum of agreement to provide teamsters nurses with retroactive economic benefits including a March 2025 general wage increase, the base pay market review and tier adjustments for advanced practice providers, a $250 bonus, shift differential and shift premium increases and matching contributions to workers’ 403(b) retirement plan.
However, the union says their fight is far from over. The next collective bargaining dates are scheduled for Sept. 17 and 18.
In a statement, Royal Oak-based Corewell Health, which was formerly known as Beaumont Health, said they are continuing to bargain in good faith and remain focused on reaching an agreement.
“We declined the union’s proposal to treat their bargaining committee members differently than our other team members. Our policies require team members to use paid time-off when they choose to be away from work, and we don’t intend to deviate from our policy,” the statement reads. “We remain committed to working with their committee members to accommodate their schedules whenever possible, including allowing them the opportunity to switch their schedule when possible consistent with staffing and patient care needs, as many of the committee members have done.”
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