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Hospital staff go on strike over low wages, lack of care standards
Hundreds of workers at the McLaren Macomb hospital walked off the job Monday amid contract negotiations that includes wages, low staffing levels, and treatment for support staff.
(FOX 2) - Signs reading "Patient Safety First" and shirts telling others "safe staffing saves lives" were the battle cries of hundreds of striking workers in Macomb County on Monday.
On the picket line, members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union at Local 40 made their voices heard amid tense contract negotiations with McLaren hospital.
What they're saying:
"This is the story of a big big corporation coming into a community hospital and running it like a business," said Dina Carlisle on Monday.
Speaking for hundreds of other health care employees outside the McLaren Macomb hospital, Carlisle lamented the current working conditions that employees at the facility experience on a daily basis.
She said the union learned the hospital had locked them out at 10 p.m. Sunday night and will remain so until next weekend.
The hospital will remain open during the strike and open positions will be filled by out-of-state workers. But with that move comes a risk, Carlisle said.
"The temporary nurses that come in - they come in from out of state and I want to make it very clear that Michigan has higher standards than many surrounding states," the Local 50 president said.
The Stakes:
Stalled contract negotiations are what pushed the workers to protect the hospital.
At the heart of the issue are low wages, treatment of support staff, and the staff-to-patient ratio. All three boil down to ensuring the care of those that come to the hospital.
According to Carlisle, the staff ratio is violated "regularly." Meanwhile, she told FOX 2 the hospital wants to take penalty pay out of the contract "so there's no accountability for the nurses."
"For the service group, these are the folks that draw your blood, they register you when you come into the hospital and sit with you when you're not safe to be alone and these people are making poverty wages," said Carlisle. "Some of them qualify for Medicaid or for SNAP benefits."
The other side:
In a statement to FOX 2, McLaren's spokesperson said the decision to picket was 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," the statement read.
The Source: Interviews with striking workers, a statement from McLaren hospital were used while reporting this story.