McLaren Flint (Mich.) Hospital, part of Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care, said it is suing multiple unions for alleged illegal tactics during contract negotiations.
Five things to know:
1. The hospital filed suit Sept. 27 against American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFSCME Council 25, AFSCME Local 875, and two union officials. AFSCME is a national union, AFSCME Council 25 is a regional affiliate of the national AFSCME union, and AFSCME Local 875 is a local union representing registered nurses at McLaren Flint.
2. The lawsuit alleges that union officials encouraged the public to not seek care at the facility so as to leverage their position during the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.
3. "McLaren Flint fully supports the collective bargaining process and continues to negotiate in good faith with the union to reach a mutually agreeable collective bargaining agreement," the hospital said in a statement. "However, the tactics the union leadership have deployed simply go too far. Differences at the bargaining table are no excuse to seek to destroy our relationship with our patients and public confidence in the care our organization provides."
4. The lawsuit also comes as union nurses at the hospital are set to walk off the job Oct. 20. Union members authorized a strike in September. The union and hospital have been in negotiations since January, according to AFSCME Local 875.
5. Union officials contend that hospital management is uninterested in addressing their calls for greater patient safety, more affordable health insurance, higher on-call pay and modest wage increases. Becker's has reached out to union officials about the lawsuit and will update this story if a comment is received.