Nearly 10,000 registered nurses across Corewell Health’s southeast Michigan hospitals are gearing up to vote on whether to authorize a strike, with balloting set to begin tomorrow. The move would hand the newly organized Teamsters unit formal strike power as nurses press for their first collective bargaining agreement.
According to Teamsters for a Democratic Union, mail-in ballots and voting instructions will go out to eligible members tomorrow, with results slated for March 17. The posting notes that the Local 2024 bargaining committee, led in part by IBT Central Region Vice President Tom Erickson, has been working on a first contract since June 2025. Union organizers are pushing for a "Yes" vote, arguing it will boost nurses’ bargaining power if talks hit a wall.
Background: a large, hard-won union drive
Nurses across nine Corewell campuses voted to join the Teamsters in November 2024 after a bruising organizing campaign that drew more than 9,600 ballots, a fight chronicled in earlier Hoodline coverage of over 9,600 nurses at Corewell Health. That victory kicked off a lengthy first-contract battle, with nurses pressing for improved staffing, pay and workplace protections.
Negotiations have been rocky
Talks have repeatedly bogged down over pay and benefits. Reporting by Crain’s Detroit Business shows the union has accused Corewell of eliminating a "pull pay" premium that it says affected roughly 5,700 nurses and of ending a student-loan repayment program. Corewell has disputed those claims while insisting it remains committed to bargaining.
What a strike authorization vote actually does
A strike authorization vote is an internal union ballot that gives leaders the power to call a strike if negotiations break down; it does not automatically send nurses to the picket line. Labor analysts note that these votes are largely a show of force meant to sharpen leverage at the bargaining table. Labor Notes outlines how unions often use authorization votes to ratchet up pressure on employers while talks continue.
Nurses say the vote is leverage
Rank-and-file bargaining team members told TDU they see the authorization vote as a necessary next step after months of stalled negotiations. “Once they see Corewell’s offer, people will vote to authorize a strike,” said Lori Accica Greenlee, a bargaining-team member, in comments posted by Teamsters for a Democratic Union. Organizers argue that a strong “Yes” vote would signal that nurses are prepared to use every available tool to secure protections for themselves and their patients.
What comes next
Ballots begin mailing March 2, and the union plans to tally and release results on March 17. Even if members authorize a strike, any walkout would only follow additional internal steps and formal notice. Corewell Health has told reporters it is committed to bargaining and that it has invested in pay programs, and the system pushed back on the union’s description of its pay changes in December. Crain’s Detroit Business reported both the company’s statement and the union’s response.
