Nurses’ union says its negotiations with Corewell Health East ‘break down’

By Anne Snabes, asnabes@detroitnews.com

The union representing nurses at 9 hospitals in southeastern Michigan stated negotiations with Corewell Well being East “collapsed” Tuesday after the well being care system “refused” to rescind two choices, the union stated.

Teamsters Native 2024, which has been negotiating a contract for 10,000 registered nurses within the Corewell Well being East system since June of this 12 months, stated in a information launch Tuesday that Corewell Well being East has determined to get rid of “pull pay,” a follow that impacts greater than 5,700 Teamsters nurses. It ensures that nurses obtain premium pay when they’re ‘pulled’ from their major division to work in one other division.

The union stated tons of of nurses have additionally been affected by Corewell’s resolution to finish a scholar mortgage compensation program, which “supplied much-needed monetary help to nurses enrolled in instructional packages primarily based on the hospital’s promise to reimburse a portion of the nurses’ tuition prices.”

Corewell Well being stated in an announcement that two packages launched through the pandemic have been being eradicated “as a part of our ongoing work to modernize our payroll packages.”

“Only a few of our nurses used these packages,” the system stated.

However Mike Smith, chief negotiator for Native 2024, claims Corewell is “taking hard-earned cash out of the pockets of Teamsters nurses.”

“Corewell is hiding behind buzzwords like ‘harmonize,’ which is simply one other technique to impose non-union requirements on nurses represented by Native 2024,” he stated in a information launch. “That is unlawful.”

Smith stated the union was notified earlier this month that the “pull pay” could be eradicated. He stated the union didn’t have the chance to barter it.

He stated Native 2024 desires to deal with the problems with the pull pay program and the scholar mortgage program earlier than negotiating financial proposals.

He stated the “pull pay” is a $4 premium.

“$4 an hour will not change anybody’s life, however at the very least it is a recognition that we’re providing you with greater than your regular workload, in the identical approach over time, in any other case one thing else will likely be paid,” he added.

Corewell Well being stated it stays dedicated to good-faith negotiations with the Teamsters. The well being care system stated it has invested greater than $50 million this 12 months in wage premium enhancements for its workforce members, together with nurses represented by the Teamsters.

“Negotiations will proceed in January and we anticipate the Teamsters will lastly current their wage and advantages proposals as they’ve promised for a number of months,” Corewell stated.

In August, the union introduced it had filed an unfair labor follow cost towards Corewell Well being East. It alleged that Corewell refused to barter a memorandum of understanding that will permit union members to make use of paid go away throughout bargaining conferences.