Residents urge Rochester Hills council to back Henry Ford Rochester nurses; council declines to take formal action

Public commenters at the Sept. 22 Rochester Hills City Council meeting urged the council to send a resolution asking Henry Ford Rochester Hospital and its bargaining unit to return to the negotiating table and reach a contract settlement for OPEIU Local 40 nurses.

The request came during the public-comment period from Rhonda Yates and Danielle Juliard, who described the dispute as affecting patient safety and local health-care capacity. "Safe staffing and fair treatment aren't just about wages. They're about patient safety, community health, and often the difference between life and loss for families here in Rochester Hills," said Rhonda Yates.

Juliard, identified at the meeting as the vice president for the nurses at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital, said nurses have been in contract negotiations for three years and marked the start of a fourth year on Aug. 10. She told council members the hospital system has used temporary staff to cover other hospitals' strikes and that nurses were asking the council to send a letter urging the employer to "return to the table in good faith." "We're tired of fighting. We're in this business to take care of people," Juliard said.

Council members and the mayor expressed personal support for nurses but stopped short of adopting a resolution. Council President Deal said the council generally limits resolutions to matters that affect the city's internal operations and that representing 75,000 residents on a private employment dispute raises competing views. "Generally, the council, when it takes up resolutions, it limits itself to taking up resolutions that impact the internal operations of the city government," he said.

Mayor Barnett said he and the administration "unequivocally" support the work nurses do in the community and expressed hope the dispute would be resolved quickly, but he also cautioned the council about intervening in private employment matters. "We get asked to get involved in a lot of things... sometimes they are employee disputes. And I think our council has done a good job... of trying to stay focused," the mayor said.

No council motion or vote on a resolution related to the hospital labor dispute was recorded in the meeting minutes or on the agenda. The public commenters left draft language for a resolution with the clerk and asked the council to consider sending a letter to hospital leadership urging a return to bargaining.

Why this matters: Commenters framed the negotiation as affecting the hospital’s ability to care for residents and urged elected officials to publicly support safe staffing. Council members acknowledged the concern but declined to convert that acknowledgement into a formal council action at the Sept. 22 meeting.

The council moved on to other business without placing a resolution on tonight’s agenda.