The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) filed an unfair labor practice charge against Sparrow Hospital with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week, alleging that the Lansing-based health care facility has repeatedly violated federal labor law and employed union busting tactics as the hospital and its caregivers’ union negotiate a new contract.
According to the MNA, Sparrow executives “have taken an aggressively anti-union approach” as they undergo contract negotiations with the Professional Employee Council of Sparrow Hospital (PECSH) union. PECSH members — who include nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and therapists, among others — have been working without a contract since Oct. 30. The caregivers recently voted to authorize a strike should union leadership determine it’s necessary. PECSH is a local subset of the MNA.
“We are completely fed up with the anti-union attitude Sparrow executives have taken,” Jessica Lannon, a Sparrow nurse and PECSH’s grievance chair, said in a press release. “They keep trying to silence the voices of caregivers. Sparrow’s administration has crossed the line too many times and must be held accountable.”
According to the MNA’s charge filed Wednesday, Sparrow Hospital “unlawfully interrogated staff about union activities and unlawfully attempted to prevent staff from wearing red to show support for their union” and threatened to cut health care and other benefits if workers went on strike. The charge also alleges that hospital...
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