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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s UAW workers strike over wages and outsourcing
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is telling customers to expect longer wait times on the phone during strikes.
Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press
More than 2,700 health care workers at Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, issued a formal strike notice Friday saying they are planning a one-day strike on Oct. 15.
“Nobody wants to go on strike, but sometimes the message has to be loud and clear,” Larry Alcoff, deputy trustee of the Service Employees International Union Health Care Michigan, said in a statement released Friday evening.
“These workers are demanding equity and equality, but also the restoration of the benefits they voluntarily sacrificed during COVID-19. This community would not have survived this global pandemic without the work of these courageous healthcare workers.”
The union includes respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, patient care technicians, clinical department clerks and specialists in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, also known as ECMO, along with administrative staff in clinics and ambulatory care settings.
The group united in two phases between July 2023 and March 2024. It is negotiating its first contract and seeking wage increases for the lowest-paid workers, along with raises for those with experience and longevity. It said it hopes to “set the wage standard for health care workers across Michigan.”
“We remain focused on the goal of a successful contract settlement, and negotiations are ongoing,” Alcoff said.
The University of Michigan Health released a statement late Friday saying it was “disappointed that SEIU has announced a strike.”
“We remain confident that we can reach an agreement without a work stoppage,” the statement said. “We will continue to work with our valued team members who provide the excellent care that defines Michigan Medicine. At the same time, we are making preparations that – in the unfortunate event that a strike occurs – will ensure the continuity of the safe, high-quality care that our patients receive every day.”
More: 2,300 University of Michigan health care workers are organizing a union as part of the growing labor movement
More: Corewell Health nurses petition to organize 9,600 in hospitals
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press.
