PORT HURON, Mich. – Health care workers at McLaren Port Huron Hospital showed what solidarity can do when people refuse to accept worsening conditions at work and decide to stand together.
Registered nurses, case managers and nontechnical workers voted to form a union through AFSCME Michigan, building the power to win a stronger voice on the job and improve care for the Port Huron community.
“We know that we are just getting started,” said Breahna Snay, a registered nurse at McLaren Port Huron. “But it is a relief to know that we will finally have a voice in our working conditions and the care we provide to the community. We are ready to take our seats at the table and bargain a contract that will benefit the employees, patients and the entire Port Huron community.”
Across the health care industry, many hospital executives expect workers to carry heavier loads with fewer resources. That leaves workers stretched thin and patients paying the price. McLaren Port Huron workers chose a better path by coming together to form a union.
“From the start of this organizing effort, we knew that it would be an uphill battle,” said Jeremy Wittmer, nurse aide. “We watched as other health care workers won their unions, and we could not be happier to join the AFSCME family! We are ready to have our voices heard and build the foundation for a stronger McLaren Port Huron.”
Their victory is part of a growing movement of health care workers across Michigan who are standing up for respect, safe staffing and the freedom to have a say in the decisions that affect their work and their patients.
“The workers at McLaren Port Huron have exercised their right to organize their union,” said Gino Carbenia, executive director of AFSCME Michigan. “Now they can continue to build their power, meet management at the table, and collectively