Late Friday evening, Henry Ford Health announced that striking nurses at Henry Ford Genesys in Genesee County have voted to end their more than year-long strike.
The strike, which started on Labor Day, 2025, has sometimes featured bitter rhetoric and accusations.
But the public end of the strike came in a statement released by the hospital, saying the striking nurses voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify Henry Ford Genesys Hospital’s last, best contract offer:
“The vote in favor of the contract ends the Teamsters’ strike, which began more than a year ago. Next, representatives for the hospital and union will meet to negotiate terms of striking members’ return to work.”
“We’re thrilled at the prospect of welcoming our valued team members back to work and look forward to working side by side with them to provide the high-quality care and service our communities count on,” said Henry Ford Genesys Hospital Interim President Gwen Sandefur.
A union official said Friday night the decision was made to accept the contract offer after more than 100 bargaining sessions.
“It was clear that the parties were not going to reach a mutual agreement on some of the core issues that remained. Our nurses felt it was time to continue advocating for their patients at the bedside while preserving their ability to have Teamsters protection throughout this agreement,” said Dan Glass, president of Teamsters Local 332.
While specifics of the contract have not been released, Henry Ford states it is consistent with the employment terms the hospital has implemented for nurses over the past year and reflects Henry Ford Health’s systemwide staffing model.
Some highlights of the contract, according to Henry Ford Health:
- Raises below-market wages in the union’s contract with previous hospital operators by 13%.
- Implements new weekend, critical, and off-shift pay rates to help ensure additional staff are available when needed.
- Maintains the nurse-to-patient staffing ratios included in previous Teamsters Local 332 contracts.
- Guarantees seniority rights for every striking union member.
While the Teamsters union local has approved the contract, the hospital system said the terms of the striking nurses’ return to work are still being negotiated.
In recent weeks, the union’s unity appeared to be fracturing after more than a year on the picket line.
With the assistance of a national right-to-work group, members of Local 322 had requested the National Labor Relations Board review their request to decertify the Teamsters as their bargaining representative.
A hearing on the request was postponed this week.
