LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Healthcare workers at Sparrow Home Care have voted to create a union with the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA).
According to the Michigan Nurses Association, the National Labor Relations Board voted unanimously (31-0) in favor of unionization.
“We are so excited to have successfully won our union,” said Sarah Pangle, an occupational therapist at Sparrow Home Care. “Because we are now united together as a union, we will be able to use our collective voice to advocate for our patients.”
The vote gives more than two-dozen people a union, including occupational therapists, occupational therapist assistants, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, speech-language pathologists, social workers and home health aides.
This is the first group of employees in the Lansing area to win a union case with the National Labor Relations Board in 2022.
“Being in a union is about recognizing that by working together you can make a difference. You can make your life, your coworkers’ lives, and your community better,” said Alice Tramper, a physical therapist at Sparrow Home Care. “It’s about understanding the power of solidarity.”
