The member bargaining committee representing 10,000 Teamster nurses in Michigan shut down bargaining to fight Corewell Health’s illegal plans to eliminate “pull pay” and terminate a student loan repayment program.

Some 5,700 nurses get premium wages, called pull pay, when they are pulled from their primary assignment to work in another unit. Management is also unilaterally eliminating student tuition reimbursements for hundreds of nurses. 

The bargaining team demanded that Corewell rescind these attacks and cutbacks. When management rejected this proposed agreement, the nurse led bargaining team slapped their laptops shut and walked out of negotiations. 

“Corewell is continuing their attacks against our nurses while claiming to be negotiating in good faith,” said Local 2024 Trustee and chief negotiator Mike Smith. “Taking hard-earned money out of Teamster nurses’ pockets just days after Christmas exemplifies what this corporate hospital system is all about. Another example of why these brave nurses unionized and continue to vigorously fight back against all that Corewell has done and continues to do.”

“Whenever Corewell tries to attack us it just adds fuel to our fire, and this is no different,” said Sarah Johnson, a bargaining committee member and one of the leaders of the Teamsters organizing drive at Corewell. 

The Local 2024 steward-led bargaining committee sees the walkout as a dress rehearsal for the actions nurses may be pushed to take to secure their contract. “We know we won’t get this contract if we aren’t ready to all walk out,” Johnson said. 

Corewell has until December 28 to rescind the proposed changes or face unfair labor practice charges from the union for illegally failing to bargain over the change. The union and employer will be back at the negotiating table on January 8. 

Union representatives say Corewell is playing hardball in the hopes of slowing down the contract negotiations as well as the unionization wave going on at their other systems in the South and West. 

“What this hospital system doesn’t understand is that nurses don’t get intimidated. What Corewell thinks may hurt or weaken them, instead ignites and unifies their spirits,” said Smith.