Nurses at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce, Mich., voted in March to join the Michigan Nurses Association, according to a report on hometownlife.com.
The nurses, more than 350 in all, include full-time, part-time and contingent nurses.
"This is all about our patients. As a union, we will have one strong voice to advocate for safer staffing levels," Kathy Lehman, RN, said in a prepared statement. "I want my coworkers to know that our union is for all Huron Valley nurses. I hope everyone participates as we head into negotiations."
The newly unionized RNs said they will move quickly to elect nurse leaders to their negotiations team and look forward to bargaining in good faith with Tenet DMC, which operates the hospital, toward a first contract.
In response to the nurses' vote to unionize, the hospital president said Huron Valley's goals are still the same, according to the report.
"Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital respects the decision of our nurses to vote for or against union representation," Karen Fordham, president and CEO of Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, said, according to the report. "Our focus remains — as it always has been — to provide trusted, high-quality care to our patients."
The Michigan Nurses Association said it represents more than 11,000 nurses statewide.
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