When you walk into McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital, you trust that someone will be there to take care of you. That someone is almost always a registered nurse. But right now, the roughly 250 nurses at McLaren Lapeer are fighting for a contract that reflects what their patients need — and what their work is worth.

The nurses' current contract expires on May 9, 2026. Negotiations are underway, but time is running out. The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) is calling on McLaren Lapeer to reach a fair agreement — one that includes competitive wages and enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios.

This isn't just about nurses. When hospitals are understaffed, patients wait longer, mistakes happen more often, and outcomes get worse. The 2023 contract at McLaren Lapeer was a step in the right direction — it included an average 19% wage increase and financial penalties if the hospital failed to meet staffing ratios. That progress took a strike authorization to achieve. It shouldn't take another one to keep it.

Nurses at McLaren Lapeer are not asking for anything extraordinary. They are asking to be paid fairly for one of the hardest jobs in healthcare, and they are asking for enough staff on every shift to keep patients safe. Those two things go hand in hand — when nurses are burned out, underpaid, and stretched too thin, it is patients who pay the price.

Sign this petition to tell McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital leadership: reach a fair contract with your nurses now. Our community's health depends on it.