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Nurses at Henry Ford Rochester tell city council contract talks stalled, urge help to avoid strike
Summary
Multiple nurses and union representatives addressed council during public comment, saying contract negotiations at Henry Ford Rochester have been stalled since 2022 and that staffing and bargaining concerns risk patient safety. Speakers urged the city to support renewed bargaining and to push Henry Ford to return to the table.
Nurses and union representatives from Henry Ford Rochester addressed the Rochester Hills City Council during the public comment period, describing prolonged contract negotiations, alleged unfair labor practices, and staffing shortages they say risk patient safety.
Speakers included long‑time Rochester Hills resident Cassandra Bell, who said she was "very upset" about how nurses are being treated and asked the council to "do whatever you can to help." Danielle Drouillard, vice president for the nurses’ union (OPEIU Local 40) at Henry Ford Rochester, summarized the bargaining history: the nurses’ contract expired in September 2022, an extension ran through June 2023, nurses conducted informational pickets and a three‑day unfair labor practice strike in September 2023 against Ascension, and an interim wage agreement followed. Drouillard said Henry Ford — which purchased the hospital after Ascension — has refused to bargain a fair contract and that the union has filed five unfair labor practice charges against Henry Ford. She said the hospital’s last, best and final offer, dated April 1, 2025, would "deny any conversation around a safe staffing matrix" and that union members overwhelmingly rejected the hospital’s offer (the union reported 88% turnout and 84% of votes against).
Multiple speakers described staffing examples they said were unsafe: Heather McMinn (RN) described nurses being assigned seven patients on med‑surg, up to 12 patients on a rehab shift, and instances of newborn assignments of five or six infants per nurse. McMinn said a staffing matrix is "an enforceable limit on the maximum number of patients a nurse can have at any given time" and that hospitals with enforceable matrices provide monetary payments when the hospital violates the matrix.
Other speakers included Michelle Foster (nuclear medicine technologist and radiology bargaining‑unit vice president) and Susie Carbone (a nurse from a nearby unionized hospital), who urged the council to press Henry Ford’s leadership to return to bargaining and to support safe staffing protections for patient care. Foster described the hospital as a "gem" and recounted care timelines for cardiac and stroke patients to emphasize the role of timely imaging and nursing care in life‑saving treatment.
Mayor Barnett responded that the council and mayor have no direct contractual relationship with the hospital and that the city is not party to the bargaining process, but said the council appreciates the nurses’ concerns and will stay informed if there are administrative updates. No formal council action was taken on the public comments.
Ending: Nurses asked the council to urge Henry Ford to return to the bargaining table, requested public support for safe staffing protections, and emphasized the potential impact of any strike on community health services.
