Nurses at the Corewell Health hospital in Niles have voted against union representation in a closely watched election overseen by federal labor officials.
According to results posted by the National Labor Relations Board, 82 nurses voted against joining the Teamsters union while 47 voted in favor. A total of 152 employees were eligible to vote in the Feb. 26 election.
The proposed bargaining unit included full-time and part-time registered nurses, nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse assistants at the hospital.
In a statement following the vote, Corewell Health said it supports the outcome and values a direct working relationship with its nursing staff.
“We fully support their decision and appreciate their support of Corewell Health Niles leadership,” the health system said, adding that it believes direct collaboration between leaders and nurses benefits patients, the community and the nursing workforce.
The organizing effort began in early January, when Teamsters Local 406 of Grand Rapids filed a petition seeking to represent the Niles hospital’s nursing staff.
Different outcome in Southeast Michigan
While the Niles vote rejected unionization, the outcome differs sharply from what occurred at several other Corewell Health hospitals in Michigan.
In November 2024, more than 9,600 nurses at nine Corewell hospitals in Southeast Michigan voted to unionize and be represented by the Teamsters, one of the largest union elections involving nurses in decades.
Those hospitals are located in the Detroit metro area.
Together, the vote brought nearly 10,000 nurses under Teamsters representation across those facilities.
Negotiations for a first contract between the nurses’ union and Corewell Health have continued since 2025.
Southwest Michigan hospitals remain non-union
The vote in Niles means the Corewell Health hospitals in Southwest Michigan — including the former Spectrum Health Lakeland hospitals in Niles, St. Joseph and Watervliet — remain non-union for nursing staff.
Corewell Health is Michigan’s largest health system, operating 21 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations statewide and employing more than 50,000 people.
