McLaren Macomb service-group members urge commission to support labor protections and better staffing

Two speakers representing service-group members at McLaren Macomb used the public-comment period to ask the commission for support amid contract negotiations.

Dina Carlisle, who introduced herself as president of the service group and a registered nurse, said administration has "kept this group from 2 raises by bargaining in bad faith and dragging out negotiations" and that the employer’s final offer would allow the hospital to hire new employees at higher wages than long‑time employees. She urged support for the service-group members and for the Safe Patient Care Act, which she said would set limits on patient loads and require hospitals to post patient‑ratio information and reporting paths.

Brad Schuneman, describing himself as vice president of the service group unit at McLaren Macomb, said staffing issues have left support staff overstretched and that "92 percent of the nurses have reported that the lack of support staff negatively impacts patient care at McLaren Macomb." He asked the commission to back service workers and described concerns about outsourcing and union‑busting tactics; he said federal charges related to such practices are under investigation.

Commissioners thanked the speakers for their comments; no formal action on the labor dispute was taken during the meeting.

Next step: the speakers said they plan further organizing and outreach; commissioners said they heard the concerns but no vote or formal endorsement was recorded.