MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Hundreds of nurses and support staff at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mount Clemens have gone on strike, claiming unfair labor practices and demanding better nurse-to-patient ratios and pay.
Roughly 700 hospital workers — about 500 registered nurses and 200 support staff, including medical and lab technicians — took part in the planned three-day strike, though it could extend longer.
The strike began Monday, July 7, at about 7 a.m.
It’s the latest strike organized by OPEIU Local 40. Last month, more than 100 nurses at Henry Ford Hospital in Rochester went on strike over similar concerns.
“This is an unfair labor practice strike. We have been having great difficulty giving quality care. We have great staffing issues to provide that for our community,” said Maria Szejbach, chief steward of OPEIU Local 40. “This is our way of saying enough is enough. We struggle to do our jobs every day and that is why health care is suffering with workers.”
The union said nurses are fighting for better nurse-to-patient ratios, while support staff are seeking better pay.
“It’s the working environment. We have to have the tools to do our job and today is a display of unity. And if people are that upset about not being able to do their job, this is why they’re out there. This is their choice to be here,” Szejbach said.
The labor dispute has reportedly been ongoing since 2023.
The strike is planned to end Wednesday, July 9, but other factors could push it into the weekend.
McLaren Macomb released the following statement regarding the strike:
“Despite OPEIU Local 40 taking nursing and support service staff away from patient care as a negotiating tactic, McLaren Macomb is prepared to remain fully open and operational for the duration of any strike.
A strike — though incredibly unfortunate — is a contingency the hospital has prepared for. While the hospital would prefer to settle negotiations and reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the union has demonstrated no willingness to discuss reasonable and sustainable terms. Fully licensed and qualified nursing and support staff have been secured to ensure a safe environment to provide patient-focused care is maintained. Nursing leadership has spent the holiday weekend leading orientations of replacement staff personnel to ensure minimal — if any — disruption to patient care when the union’s strike begins.
Patients with scheduled procedures, outpatient services, or upcoming appointments should attend as planned. If they have any questions, they are welcome to call their provider’s office.
OPEIU’s strike begins 7 a.m. on July 7, with the support service unit conducting a three-day strike and returning to work effective 6:59 a.m. July 10. To secure the registered nurses required to maintain safe care in the hospital during a strike immediately after a holiday weekend, the hospital had to commit to paying the replacement nurses for a minimum of five days. Regrettably, this has left McLaren with no other option than to inform the nurses’ unit that they are prohibited from returning to work until 7 a.m., Sunday, July 12.
The union’s decision to take its members on strike is a truly regrettable development, considering the hospital put forth an offer that includes a wage increase that creates a market-leading compensation package, nationally benchmarked staffing ratios, and qualified benefits.
Highlights of latest offer:
Rebuffing that proposal, the union insisted on unrealistic terms that place the hospital’s long-term stability in jeopardy considering the newly passed legislation making cuts to Medicaid and health care providers’ reimbursements.
The union has deployed another common and contentious bargaining tactic by filing multiple unfair labor practice complaints as a basis for this strike. McLaren staunchly refutes any such allegations as meritless and purposefully regressive, hindering negotiations. It is the hospital’s belief that this strike is based on economic factors, which is illegal in the bargaining process.
McLaren Macomb sincerely respects, appreciates, and values all of its team members and their roles in the care process. It is regrettable that the union has placed the hospital in this untenable position, but its overall commitment to serving the community is unwavering and will not be deterred by the union’s irresponsible negotiating tactics."