Facts About the Strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital

(Grand Blanc, Mich.) --We're grateful for our 55,000 Henry Ford Health team members - on Labor Day and every day - who are relentless advocates for our patients and members, the community, and each other.

As the Teamsters strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, hundreds of dedicated team members and contract nurses remain on the job. The hospital remains open, providing the safe, seamless, high-quality care patients deserve.

We recognize and respect the commitment, compassion, and unique talent nurses bring to caring for their patients each and every day. We hope to welcome our Genesys nurses back to work soon.

Here are some important facts:

The hospital will remain open
• Henry Ford Genesys Hospital will remain open during the strike by Teamsters 332.
• All nurses have the opportunity to choose to work during the strike.
• The hospital will be fully and safely staffed by team members and contracted nurses, who will ensure seamless patient care while their nursing colleagues strike.

Safe staffing and nursing ratios

• We're committed to safe nurse staffing models that provide the best quality of care for our patients and our communities.
• We staff our hospitals based on patient volumes and other factors. Mandated staffing ratios hinder our ability to adapt to varying patient conditions.
• Research indicates mandated ratios increase wait times and patient boarding in emergency departments, delay transfers of patients into ICUs, and require clinically unnecessary patient transfers between hospitals.
• A peer-reviewed study on the impact of government mandated ratios in Massachusetts ICUs, based on a June 2014 law setting a maximum patient-to-nurse ratio of 2:1, found mandated ratios did not increase nurse staffing or change patient outcomes.
• Nurse to patient ratios were part of the Teamsters contract that expired on Aug. 20.
• Under the contract that expired on Aug. 20, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day, which put fellow team members and patients at risk for coordinated call-offs.
• There has been a 22.9% surge in Teamsters call-offs at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital year over year.

The proposed contract
• Henry Ford Genesys Hospital's proposed contract includes a robust and competitive compensation package that includes overtime and benefits.
• The competitive compensation package is aligned with what's offered to nurses across all the other Henry Ford Health acute care hospitals-of which there are 13 in total.
• The average annual salary for an RN in Michigan is $90,580. Based on the contract offered, 60% of union members will have a base rate pay of more than $100,000 a year. This does not include overtime or holiday pay.
• The contract on the table offers the same high-quality, competitive health care benefits that are offered to team members across Henry Ford Health.
• Henry Ford Health took over operations at Genesys Hospital in October 2024. This is the first contract between the Teamsters and the new leadership.
• New leaders determined provisions in previous contracts between Genesys Hospital and the Teamsters are inconsistent with Henry Ford Health system-best practices and are not in the best interest of efficient and fiscally responsible hospital operations.

Financial turnaround underway
• On October 1, 2024, Henry Ford Health assumed operations of Genesys Hospital, which has been in steep decline for years with average annual losses of about $50 million.
• New leaders are forging ahead with thoughtful and strategic steps to restore the hospital's financial stability, including operational changes and/or consolidation of services. Labor negotiations are happening amid these turnaround efforts.
• By addressing these issues head-on, Henry Ford Health affirms its deep commitment to its Genesee County team members and to advancing the health and wellbeing of everyone who calls the area home.

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