the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Sep 30, 2024
On Friday, September 27, a group of Michigan nurses dropped off three bankers’ boxes full of cards signed by thousands of registered nurses showing support to organize with the Teamsters Union. Cards came from all of the eight Corewell Health Hospitals in Metro Detroit and also from the Southfield Service Center.
The organizers aim to include all of the 9,600 registered nurses in the hospital system. Nurses interviewed by the press cited nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, job cuts, and wanting to bargain collectively for wages and benefits.
The nurses obviously understand the idea of “Go Big or Go Home.” This is evidenced by the fact that organizers pulled together signatures from nine separate locations. The driving distance between the two farthest hospitals is roughly 50 miles!
Historically, hospitals, insurance companies and other big businesses in the metro Detroit area have fought tooth and nail against union organizing drives by nurses.
A tough battle awaits these nurses when it comes to getting the government stamp of approval on their union and legal recognition. But guess what? The union IS the workers coming together to solve problems. Nurses fight every day to take control away from administrators with their cost-cutting decisions that could kill patients.
These nurses have already started to prepare themselves for the fights ahead with the stealth way they were able to organize under-the-radar and make their surprise announcement.