This browser does not support the Video element.
Ascension St. John ER workers vote to strike
Ascension St. John has been struggling with staff shortages, according to the Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians union. Workers plan to strike for 24 hours on April 18, 2024.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - After warning that they are in dire need of more staff in the emergency room, the physicians union at Ascension St. John in Detroit is planning a 24-hour strike for April 18.
Patients at Ascension St. John Hospital are reportedly waiting as long as 17 hours in the ER. Members of the Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians say that such extensive waits have become the norm.
ER Physician Assistant and union member Casey Kolp said there has been as many as "50 patients" in the waiting room, simultaneously.
One patient with active appendicitis waited six hours to be checked out, Kolp said. Another with a pulmonary embolism sat for four hours in the ER before seeing a doctor.
"That’s a long time to sit in pain," Kolp said. "That's a long time to be scared."
Private equity firms, such as Blackstone, are acquiring emergency room management services across the country through companies like TeamHealth, according to the union's website. Accusations have emerged from California and North Carolina of these firms reducing staff, cutting costs, and inflating rates to boost profits at the expense of the vulnerable.
Ascension St. John has also been facing the same issues, as TeamHealth handles their staffing.
"We’ve had staff get assaulted," Kolp said. "Tensions are high. When tensions are high, it’s not a healthy work environment for anyone."
The staff shortages range from nurses, to lab technicians, to security, according to the union.
Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians members have been trying to sound the alarm to TeamHealth, but negotiations have stalled after seven months.
On Sunday night, union members voted to strike on April 18. Physicians and physician assistants that are part of the union will be walking out of the ER for 24 hours.
"The union is filing its 10-day notice to strike for unfair labor practices and will hold a press conference this afternoon with Congressman Shri Thanedar outside the Emergency Room at 4 p.m.," according to a news release.
The ongoing issues prompted U.S. Senator Gary Peters and the Committee on Homeland Security to initiate an investigation into TeamHealth regarding its management at Ascension St. John, the union stated.
"Nobody went to medical school to be on the picket line," said Dr. Michelle Wiener, an ER doctor and the union's president.
On the other side of the bargaining table, TeamHealth sent FOX 2 a statement that said the union has made "several public claims that are unequivocally false."
"The median door to doctor time at Ascension St. John Emergency Department in 2023 was 25 minutes. In 2024, wait times dropped to 17 minutes, far less than the 10 to 15 hours the union claims," according to TeamHealth. "The Ascension St. John emergency department is fully staffed today."
The third party company also assured the public that St. John's ER will be fully staffed and ready to treat patients in need of care during the strike.
Physicians union at Ascension St. John on verge of strike: 'We need staffing'
Members of the Greater Detroit Association of Emergency Physicians say they are prepared to take their fight to the picket line if things do not get better soon.
"TeamHealth has provided clinicians with support and resources for over 40 years to deliver high-quality patient care, even in the face of material reimbursement pressure from private insurers and Medicare," TeamHealth stated. "We have negotiated in good faith with the union, and any statement to the contrary is false. We invite the union’s leadership to return to the bargaining table and secure a resolution on reasonable and sustainable terms."
In their news release, the union also stated that members will continue to negotiate in "good faith" to find a solution to the ongoing problems.
"We always show up for work. During an active bomb threat a few weeks ago, everybody showed up even with a dog sniffing around. During the flood, we walked through waist-deep water. During COVID, it was never a question if we were coming in. So for us to get to the point where we're willing to not show up to work, to advocate for ourselves and patients, that's a really big deal," Wiener said.
There are several Ascension St. John hospitals in metro Detroit, however, the strike will only apply to the Detroit location, for now – and that includes just over 30 employees.