GRAND BLANC, Mich.—The day reached a peak of 88 degrees, yet that did not stop union nurses and their allies from across the state from rallying in support of Teamsters Local 332 nurses, who have been on strike for nine months now.
Outside Henry Ford Hospital, where workers continue to strike, nurses, other union workers, and community members alike all walked the picket lines in solidarity. The community walk, organized by Local 332, also featured notorious DJ Bill Young, who has previously come out to the picket line. He stood on a lift overlooking all the cars driving by, blasting music. He asked for horns to honk in solidarity, and many did.
“It’s been a great event!” said President Dan Birchok of AFT Local 5671. He told People’s World how his union has been showing solidarity with the striking nurses, saying, “We probably go out here once a month, somebody comes up, gets some food, pickets, and so we just want to continue to support these nurses until their contract is settled.” He reiterated, even if a contract does not come soon, “We’ll continue to come out here and support.”
A community supporter walking the picket line told People’s World they’ve had a history of previous union work. They talked about how happy they were to see people rally for the nurses. Although dismayed by previous job experience, they said that “unions do good work and are always pushing to do… the right things done.” They also expressed that the event would “give them a boost of energy.”
The community walk was another opportunity to not just spread information but also help boost the morale of the striking nurses. Tammy Alford-Bearup, a 20-year Registered Nurse, told People’s World that “when we first started, I thought it would start dying out, and it has not died out.”
She expressed just how hopeful these community walks are, explaining that, “it helps. It really truly helps. I’m a nurse that walks constantly, and, you know, it can be long days, you know? A lot of thinking, you know, when you’re all down the line, walking, you know, a mile, like a mile, like a mile at a mile.”
While walking on the line, the long-time nurse recounted the events that led up to the strike that rests in the back of her mind: “I had ten patients, and we had not one CNA for the floor. That’s what we were dealing with. No breaks. No lunch here.”
The community walk was in part planned and organized by a Local 332 union steward named Sarah Engelman. A 19-year veteran RN, Engelman became a steward soon after joining the union at the hospital. “It was pretty obvious how some people got treated differently than others if the management didn’t like them,” she recounted.
She described the process of being a steward as “eye-opening” and talked about the stresses of being a nurse. “We’re people too,” she said. She told People’s World how she is very proud of being both a nurse and a union steward. “I love sticking up for people and making sure that they’re getting treated rapidly.”
Engelman also talked about how the strike has given opportunity for other members to step up, too. “You’re getting pulled in so many different directions…between, you know, doing affidavits for the NLRB, negotiations, and then just the day-to-day, what everybody needs out here is, because there’s not an HR department right now…We’re the HR.”
Jordan Proncuier, an RN for five years now, is just one example of a fellow union member who has stepped up. They have helped maintain grounds and housework by donating equipment and also doing some labor. Proncuier stated that an effect of the strike and seeing community solidarity has been “I think moving forward, I’ll be going to some of the other local strikes and like doing the same for what they’ve done for us.”
Jenny Sherman, a 23-year veteran RN, is also another example of a member who has “stepped up.” On June 7, she uploaded an informational video to help spread the story and invite people to the community walk. In response, the video received hundreds of views and brought out dozens of new activists and community members to the picket line.
On the bargaining front, this Friday, Local 332 will meet with Henry Ford Health to try to come to a fair and just contract once again. The long process has been a challenge, nurses told People’s World, but the constant community support and solidarity have definitely helped the nurses on the picket line.
“We wanted the nurses to know…the community’s still behind us.”
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