(Royal Oak, MI) – Nurses at Beaumont – Royal Oak Hospital announced yesterday that they are organizing to form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association. In an open letter addressed to fellow nurses, 100 RNs at Beaumont publicly announced their commitment to lead the nurse’s efforts to obtain a strong voice for nurses and their patients.
“I have been a nurse at Beaumont for 18.5 years. It’s time for us to come together with a united voice to improve our working conditions,” said Philomena Kerobo, RN, BSN, C-EFM. “Together, we can build a better Beaumont.”
“We’ve seen the ways in which forming a union allows nurses to advocate for their patients at hospitals across the state like Munson Medical Center, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, and University of Michigan’s Health System,” said Kelly Brockenshire, RN. “We’re excited and proud to be a part of a growing wave of nurses across Michigan organizing to form our union.”
Nurses at Munson Medical Center and Huron Valley – Sinai Hospital ratified historic first contracts less than a year ago. In both instances, nurses were able to win language that secures staffing levels and addresses a process that ensures nurses have a legitimate voice in any staffing decisions.
Nurses at the University of Michigan Health System (Michigan Medicine) won a landmark contract in October that was one of the first in the country to put specific staffing ratios in writing.
The next step for Beaumont nurses after launching their campaign will be to continue to have conversations with their colleagues about coming together to have a collective voice.
“We’re organizing to form our union because we care deeply about our patients and our community,” said Susan Schultz, RN, BSN. “We know that if we win a union, we’ll be able to have a real say at the table about the issues that matter most to our patients and to us.”
“All across Michigan, nurses are coming together to stand up to an increasingly corporate health care model and advocate for our patients and ourselves,” said Jamie Brown, RN. “We want to put the care back in healthcare.”
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Contact: Dawn Kettinger, 517.721.9688