On a holiday meant to honor the labor movement, Henry Ford Health finds itself in the crosshairs of a struggle that will test the balance between patient care, financial survival, and worker rights. The Detroit-based health system reached one milestone last week by finalizing its first labor contract at one of the eight hospitals it acquired from Ascension. Yet even as it secured peace with one union, another is threatening to walk out, signaling that the path to stability is anything but certain.
The new agreement covers 370 support service staff at Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township, represented by AFSCME Local 3518. For those workers, the deal represents more than just wages and benefits. It symbolizes recognition from a new employer still finding its footing after assuming operations in October 2024. Henry Ford Health highlighted this symbolism in a statement celebrating the contract: “With this contract we recognize the essential contributions our valued team members make every day. They help keep our hospital running smoothly, ensuring our patients and community have a safe, welcoming environment. We look forward to moving ahead together united in our commitment to our patients, our community and one another.”
But for the 750 nurses represented by Teamsters Local 332, that optimism feels out of reach. Their contract expired June 5, and after months of negotiations — some overseen by a federal mediator — they rejected what Henry Ford called its “last, best, and final offer.” On September 1, Labor Day itself, the nurses are prepared to strike. For them, the stakes are not simply economic but deeply tied to safety, morale, and the ability to recruit and retain colleagues in a profession already strained by burnout and shortages.
The Teamsters say the hospital is undermining the very factors that once made Genesys a destination for nurses. Patricia Pierce, a chief steward at Local 332, said, “For years, nurses have flocked to work at Michigan hospitals like Henry Ford Genesys because they have historically prioritized safety above all else. In gutting incentives for new nurses and increasing — often doubling or tripling — the number of patients nurses must cover, our employer is creating a dangerous environment and encouraging new nurses to look elsewhere for employment. We are fighting for a safe Henry Ford Genesys, not just for hospital staff but for patients and their families.”
Henry Ford, however, insists its proposal is fair and consistent with contracts across its system. The health system said the offer “aligns with nurse contracts at its other hospitals and included a robust and competitive compensation package.” It has also stood firm on rejecting mandated staffing ratios, arguing that rigid requirements interfere with flexibility: “Mandated staffing ratios hinder our ability to adapt to varying patient conditions.”
From the hospital’s perspective, this fight is not only about labor policy but about economics. Genesys has been hemorrhaging money — an average of $50 million annually — and Henry Ford says it cannot continue honoring past provisions it considers fiscally irresponsible. “We have been negotiating in good faith with Teamsters leaders since April, meeting with them dozens of times,” the health system said. “It is still our great hope that our nurses will see the value in our proposed contract and we can avoid a strike. Regardless, we are taking necessary steps to prepare.”
The numbers underscore the tension. Between January 1 and August 18 of this year, Teamsters members at Genesys called off work 5,872 times — a 22.9 percent surge compared to previous years. On average, 25 nurses call off daily, the equivalent of an entire unit. Henry Ford argues that such patterns strain the system and force reliance on premium pay models that incentivize further call-offs. At Rochester and West Bloomfield hospitals, both similar in size, daily call-offs average four and 11, respectively — far below Genesys.
For the nurses, those statistics tell another story. They argue inconsistent staffing and overwhelming workloads are driving absences. One union statement noted, “We have nurses that are brand new nurses, not even six months, and they’re taking up to 11 patients.” That, they say, is not sustainable.
This conflict is not happening in isolation. Across Michigan, hospitals have been embroiled in labor disputes since COVID reshaped health care. McLaren Macomb nurses staged a walkout in July, citing unsafe staffing levels. At Henry Ford Rochester, nurses walked off for four days in June. OPEIU Local 40 conducted a three-day strike at McLaren Macomb over staffing concerns. These are not isolated skirmishes but part of a statewide reckoning with how hospitals treat their frontline workers after years of crisis.
Henry Ford, for its part, is adamant the hospital will remain open and safe. A spokesperson said, “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.”
The union, meanwhile, counters that Henry Ford is ignoring the real crisis. In its August 19 post, the Teamsters said, “Henry Ford Health will not agree to nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. We consider multiple factors when staffing our hospitals, including recognized industry standards and patient volumes, but inconsistent staffing affects individual workloads and disrupts patient care.” They warn that without enforceable ratios, staffing will continue to be a flashpoint.
The broader contract fight touches wages and benefits as well. Teamsters argue the hospital is attempting to strip away premium pay and overtime provisions. “The hospital wants to take away our premium pay, including overtime and holiday pay,” union members said. Henry Ford disputes that characterization, noting that the proposed contract “includes overtime and holiday pay that is consistent with what is offered across the Henry Ford Health system.”
Even on health care benefits, the sides remain far apart. Nurses say they have “no idea” what their health care costs will be under the proposed deal. Henry Ford counters that the package is “robust and competitive,” and that “information about the health care benefits offered is readily available to team members.”
The public will see this play out not just in picket lines but in emergency rooms, waiting rooms, and patient wards. Each missed shift, each stretched nurse, and each dollar lost will carry consequences. In Michigan, a state where health care is both a major employer and a critical community lifeline, the Genesys dispute is more than a local fight. It is a mirror of larger questions facing hospitals everywhere: how to reconcile labor rights, financial pressures, and the non-negotiable need for safe, quality care.
On Labor Day, the lines will be drawn more visibly than ever. Nurses with picket signs, hospital administrators with spreadsheets, and patients with needs that cannot wait. What happens in Grand Blanc will ripple far beyond Genesys Hospital, shaping the trajectory of labor relations in health care across the state and reminding us all that the heart of medicine lies in those who do the work.
