What Teamsters are Saying and What You Should Know About the Strike at Genesys Hospital

Grand Blanc, Mich.-- We understand our community will hear from union spokespeople in the coming days. We encourage all audiences to consider their claims in light of the information below.

Additional information about strike preparations can be found here.

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING:
[Henry Ford Genesys Hospital] did not negotiate in good faith. They weren't really prepared to talk about the things that we wanted to talk about." (ABC 12 News, 9/25/25)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
We’ve been negotiating in good faith with Teamsters leaders since April, meeting with them nearly 50 times, including with state and federal mediators. We're committed to working with our union partners to develop a long-term plan that will ensure the hospital continues serving the community. We know that this requires collaboration, and we are eager for the teamsters to join us in this effort. 

DIG DEEPER:

• As determined by the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA)  the mandatory subjects for bargaining are pay, hours, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment (such as seniority, scheduling practices, promotions, transfers, and grievance processes)
• While the law requires good-faith negotiations, an employer does not have to agree to a proposal or make concessions. An employer may present a last, best, final offer when good-faith negotiations have exhausted the prospects of reaching an agreement.
• The issues separating both sides are complex and difficult, and we are working with mediators during this process, which is common practice in labor negotiations

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING: 
“Henry Ford Genesys must come back to the bargaining table with a proposal that finally guarantees safe nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages, and better working conditions for the Teamsters who make the hospital run.” (Facebook 9/18/25)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
The contract Genesys leaders put on the table includes the exact same nurse-to-patient ratios that were included in the Teamsters contract that expired Aug. 20; an important change is that the new proposed contract addresses the premium pay tied to those ratios.

DIG DEEPER:

• Under the expired contract, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day. The clause incentivizes coordinated call-offs, where Teamsters take turns calling off scheduled shifts so that those who show up can get premium pay. This is not in the best interest of patients or other team members.
• A Henry Ford Genesys Hospital payroll analysis shows premium pay tied to nurse-to-patient ratios has resulted in:
  o Payroll periods of up to $15,000 for some Teamsters 
  o Teamsters receiving $1.27 million in premium pay in the first half of 2025
• Contractually mandated ratios do not guarantee consistent staffing.
• Mandated staffing ratios hinder our ability to adapt to varying patient conditions.
• We consider multiple factors when staffing our hospitals, including recognized industry standards and patient volumes. 
• Research indicates mandated ratios don’t change patient outcomes or lead to a better patient experience — they can increase wait times and patient boarding in emergency departments, delay transfers of patients into ICUs, and lead to 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. 
• The proposed contract includes a robust and competitive compensation package that includes overtime and benefits that align with what’s offered across the 13-hospital Henry Ford Health system.
  o The average annual salary for an RN in Michigan is $90,580.
  o 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.

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING: 
“Nurses are regularly assigned over contractual ratios, and at times those ratios climb to as much as double or more the contractual limit—placing both patients and nurses at risk”
(Facebook, 9/22/2025)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
To maintain ideal nurse-to-patient ratios, people need to come to work.

DIG DEEPER:

• Under the expired contract, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day. The clause incentivizes coordinated call-offs, where Teamsters take turns calling off scheduled shifts so that those who show up can get premium pay. This is not in the best interest of patients or other team members. This is one of the aspects of the contract that we have been negotiating.
  o Teamsters members called off 5,872 times between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, 2025. 
  o In the first half of 2025, Teamsters received $1.27 million in premium pay tied to this clause in their contract. 

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING
“The hospital is trying to gut a contract that has protected RNs and patients for decades, replacing it with corporate Henry Ford policies.” (Facebook, 9/22/2025)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
When Henry Ford Health took over operations of Genesys Hospital in 2024, new leaders determined provisions in previous contracts between Genesys Hospital and the Teamsters are not in the best interest of patients, team members, or efficient and fiscally responsible hospital operations.

DIG DEEPER:

• Under the expired contract, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day. The clause incentivizes coordinated call-offs, where Teamsters take turns calling off scheduled shifts so that those who show up can get premium pay. This is not in the best interest of patients or other team members.  This is one of the aspects of the contract that we have been negotiating.
• The competitive compensation package on the table is aligned with what’s offered across all 13 Henry Ford Health acute care hospitals.
• Genesys Hospital has been in steep financial decline for years, with average annual losses of about $50 million. This is not sustainable. To continue serving the people of this community, we must take strategic and thoughtful steps to restore the hospital’s financial stability. Labor negotiations are happening amid these turnaround efforts. 

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING: 
“Historically, RNs at Genesys have accepted lower wages than neighboring hospitals because our contractual nurse-to-patient ratios were always honored by the medical center.” (Facebook, 9/22/2025)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: 
The contract Genesys leaders put on the table includes the exact same nurse-to-patient ratios that were included in the Teamsters contract that expired Aug. 20. The proposed contract also includes a robust and competitive compensation package that includes overtime and benefits that align with what’s offered across the 13-hospital Henry Ford Health system. 

DIG DEEPER:

• An important change is that the new proposed contract addresses the premium pay tied to nurse-to-patient ratios. Under the expired contract, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day. The clause incentivizes coordinated call-offs, where Teamsters take turns calling off scheduled shifts so that those who show up can get premium pay. This is not in the best interest of patients or other team members. This is one of the aspects of the contract that we have been negotiating.
  o Teamsters members called off 5,872 times between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, 2025.
  o In the first half of 2025, Teamsters received $1.27 million in premium pay tied to this clause in their contract.
• 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.

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING:

“The employer has shown no interest in a true partnership with the union and tried to strip nurses of their voice in the bargaining process.” (Facebook, 9/22/25)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
While we may not agree on every detail, we believe Henry Ford Genesys Hospital and Teamsters share the same goal– keeping Genesys strong. We're committed to working with our union partners to develop a long-term plan that will ensure the hospital continues serving the community. We know that this requires collaboration, and we are eager for the teamsters to join us in this effort. 

 DIG DEEPER:

• We’ve been negotiating in good faith with Teamsters leaders since April, meeting with them nearly 50 times, including with state and federal mediators.
• Henry Ford Health complies with all applicable labor strike laws. 
• The strike by Teamsters Local 332 is believed to be only the second strike in Henry Ford Health’s 110-year history

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING:

I have not been granted vacation time in over a year. To take any time off I either have to find someone to cover my shift which I tried to do or I have to use one of my sick days in order to go and to have any time off and the burnout is real. (WEYI-TV, 9/5/25)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
At Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, we grant vacation in accordance with the Teamsters Local 332 contract which allots vacation requests based on seniority.  We agree that nurses with less seniority may have trouble getting requests granted when there are multiple requests for the same date from nurses with more seniority.  

DIG DEEPER:

• At Henry Ford Health sites where we are not bound by a union contract, all team members get access to paid time off. 
• Henry Ford Genesys Hospital’s proposed contract includes a robust and competitive compensation package that includes overtime, benefits, and paid time off.

WHAT TEAMSTERS ARE SAYING: 
“I have had 6 patients quite a few times on my…nursing unit, which we’re supposed to max have 4, and it’s very difficult.”  (ABC 12 News, 9/18/25)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:
To maintain ideal nurse-to-patient ratios, people need to come to work. Teamsters members called off 5,872 times between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, 2025.

DIG DEEPER:

• Under the contract that expired Aug. 20, Teamsters were eligible for premium pay based on the number of patients they care for each day, which may incentivize call-offs and decrease the number of nurses available to care for patients. In the first half of 2025, Teamsters received $1.27 million in premium pay tied to this clause in their contract. This is one of the aspects of the contract that we have been negotiating.
• There has been a 22.9% surge in Teamsters call-offs at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in the past year. 
• On the weekend before the strike, 80 scheduled nurses called off work. That is the equivalent of three and a half units of staff. 
• In the week leading to the strike 252 scheduled nurses called off work.
• Since the strike began, we’re experiencing fewer call-offs, which has allowed us to consistently maintain our ideal nurse-to-patient ratios. We haven’t changed our staffing model.
• On average, 25 Teamsters members call off each day at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital — the equivalent of an entire unit of staff. 
  o At Henry Ford Rochester Hospital, on average, 4 nurses call off each day; at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, 11 nurses call off each day. Both hospitals are similar in size and scale to Henry Ford Genesys Hospital. 

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This article was originally posted on Aug. 30, 2025. It is frequently updated.

MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY: mediarelations@hfhs.org