(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) - Cameron Harrison at People’s World reports that after 16 months of contract negotiations and what Workers describe as continued bad-faith tactics by Corewell Health, nearly 10,000 Registered Nurses (RN) have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a Strike. The Nurses, who are Members of Teamsters Local 2024, announced nearly 90% of voting Members supported the Strike Authorization. They hope to send a clear message to the Michigan Health Care Conglomerate that they are prepared to walk off the job if a fair contract isn’t secured. The authorization does not mean a walkout is imminent, but it gives the Union’s Bargaining Team the power to call one if negotiations continue to stall. The newly-organized Nurses, who work across nine Hospitals and Campuses in Southeastern Michigan, have been fighting for their first Union contract since June 2025. Their demands center on safe Nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages, affordable health insurance, arbitrary disciplinary protection, and improved workplace safety for Workers and patients alike. Rachel Szadyr, a Cardiac ICU Nurse and Bargaining Committee Member at Corewell, said: “This overwhelming Strike vote shows Nurses are done being bullied into silence while executives put profits over patients and gamble with our safety and our licenses. It’s no secret Nurses everywhere are struggling. We keep losing incredible Nurses because of a rigged system that lets so‑called non-profit Hospitals pile more responsibility onto Nurses, while stripping away the resources we need to provide safe care.” The Strike vote marks the latest escalation in a high-profile battle between the newly-Unionized workforce and one of Michigan’s largest Hospital Systems - a virtual health care monopoly. In November 2024, the Nurses made history by beating back an aggressive, $1.7 million Union-Busting campaign to join the Teamsters. That first victory, with nearly 63% of the vote going to the Union, was hailed as one of the largest single Union Elections in the U.S. in decades.

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