GRAND BLANC, Mich.—Nurses at Henry Ford Health in Michigan—one of the state’s largest health care systems—have been on strike for over a year, but their spirit remains solid both on the picket line and at the bargaining table.
Represented by Teamsters Local 332, they met with management for a negotiation session on Sept. 11, 2026, as their unfair labor practice strike passed its first anniversary. They also returned to the picket line last week after the Labor Day holiday, with the union blaming continued stalling by hospital bosses for the lack of a contract.
The union’s negotiating team and Henry Ford met twice in August after one cancelled session, then met again on Sept. 1 and 11. The Michigan Labor Mediation Board was present for the latter session.
Leading up to the one-year anniversary, Henry Ford filed a restraining order against the local. On Aug. 18—Day 352 of the strike—Local 332 President Dan Glass and about 50 union nurses appeared at the Genesee County Courthouse to testify against the company’s claims.
“It’s really disappointing at this point that, instead of talking about the information they need to provide for us, talking to us about the concerns our nurses have with ratios which impacts the community” the company is instead filing restraining orders, Glass said in a video posted to Facebook.
Despite the slow pace of bargaining, Glass and other union members noted that some progress has been made. Key issues remain on the table, however, including the position control list and nurse-to-patient ratios.
Those talks marked a welcome change of pace. Glass told the Detroit Free Press: “We’ve had a lot more sessions, and we’ve actually reached some tentative agreements. We are down to six or eight open articles. It’s been really good progress. I’ve been happy with that.”
Before the Sept. 11 session, Kelly Rivera, business agent for Local 332, said:
“Our goal is to come to an agreement on the remaining articles while addressing the core issues that led us to strike and to reach a fair return-to-work agreement that recognizes our striking RNs’ years of service, experience, and commitment to the community and hospital.”
Sustained strikes cannot survive without community support, and Henry Ford nurses have been able to rely on that. Lawn signs backing them still dot lawns across Michigan.
Other Teamster locals have shown up in recent months, including Local 320. Members of the UAW, AFSCME, and AFT have also joined the picket line in solidarity. Local 332 has reached out to the public in recent months, launching a website to share information about the ULP strike.
Despite waging one of the longest labor battles against workers in Michigan history, Henry Ford Health CEO Bob Riney was recently awarded the Neal Shine Award for Exemplary Leadership by the Detroit Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition—a disconnect between working Michiganders and some of the state’s major public institutions.
The nurses’ long fight illustrates how policy and corporate power are arrayed against the labor movement. While dragging its feet on key provisions, Henry Ford Health has continued expanding its business in Genesee County.
The hospital system has touted National Labor Relations Board decisions to close several ULP cases filed against it, but others filed by Local 332 remain unanswered.
Bargaining meetings continue to be scheduled, and nurses have repeatedly stressed what a good contract means for delivering safe, reliable care to the community. As Rivera put it:
“After everything our nurses have sacrificed over the past year, we want a contract that our members will vote yes to and that Henry Ford Health will honor. Nurse-to-patient ratios have been at the heart of this fight, but we also need meaningful accountability to ensure those ratios are followed. What we negotiate at the table needs to be honored for our nurses when they return to the bedside.”
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