June 2024

Good day and happy summer to all my UAW brothers and sisters!

I hope everything is going well and our members are staying healthy, fit, and in shape. Over at one of the premier healthcare organizations in Michigan, we are striving to help our community stay healthy. At the University of Michigan Health Sparrow campus, previously known as Sparrow Hospital, we are moving right along to provide top-notch healthcare in the Lansing area and beyond. We have expanded our care to the west side of the state, the central area, and outlying suburbs of Lansing, allowing residents to have more accessible care. We are committed to providing exceptional care by recruiting the top specialists in all fields of medicine. Being a UAW represented hospital puts the gold lining on already exceptional care; but our members go above and beyond all expectations to make sure our diverse community and patients are treated as their own family. While I could not cover every position in the hospital—from surgery, to maintenance, to food service—all work hard to provide excellent care. As we grow, we will continue to hire the most skilled professionals to better serve the City of Lansing and beyond!

Enjoy your summer safely,

In Solidarity,
Muhammad

March 2024

Happy spring to all my brothers and sisters of the UAW.   I was always taught, “You don't get something for nothing”.   Many of our members complain about what they want the union to do, how they want us to represent them, to get more wage increases and time off, but feel they do not have to pay any dues for the representation they receive.  It really has been brought to the forefront since the repeal of Right to Work in the state of Michigan.   The Senate and House bill to repeal went into effect on February 13, 2024.  When we bargain a contract, it is for all our members - new hires and senior members, those in entry level positions, and highly technical skill sets.  The contract covers all spectrums of our everyday work-life and ensures we improve how we are treated at work and how well we are compensated when we do come to work.  A contract will never be a magic pill that makes each workday rosy, but it will be a template to be treated with respect and dignity while you are an employee at any union workplace.  Also, for those who complain about the union…how about being part of the solution and not part of the problem.   We have a handful of members who make the decisions for the masses at our work sites.  Come to the meetings, read the monthly information, and get involved to make sure your thoughts, wants, and needs are being covered not only daily, but also during contract negotiation time.  One of the reasons I do what I do, is to make sure all people are treated equally, fairly, and respectfully.  I have been this way in my personal life and recently it has made me throw myself into running for public office.  Just as I want members to be informed on all we do, our communities that we live in should be informed and represented by someone who cares about the city and community in which we live.  Make it a conscious choice to get involved at work and within your community.   Donate time and resources to better someone else, as well as yourself.  Let’s make this city and state the best place to live, work, and play.

In Solidarity,
Muhammad

December 2023

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters of the UAW.  Hopefully, everyone has big plans, and you get to enjoy the festivities and your family and friends around this season with all it has to offer.  Remember, and be conscious, that not everyone is merry, jolly, nor filled with the Christmas spirit this time of year.  Depression, suicide, and an unhealthy mental state, unfortunately, can spike tremendously around the holiday times.  Be observant of your fellow co-workers, family members, and friends who may retreat or isolate themselves more than usual around these days and months ahead.  Have positive, heart-to-heart conversations to see what may be causing their grief and bringing on their depression.  Let them know they are not alone and maybe invite someone who is not a part of your everyday interactions into your fold.  Many just want to be heard and know that someone cares and understands why they are in a depressive state.  If the individual is contemplating hurting themselves, please encourage them to seek professional help for emotional support.  There are all types of free mental health resources throughout the state of Michigan and also other states too.  There is a new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that is 24/7, free and confidential support for individuals in distress, with prevention and crisis resources for them and their loved ones.   We all, at some point and time, go through high and low times in our lives.  Knowing someone cares, understands, and that there are resources to help lift people up and defuse grieving situations is priceless.  May you all be safe and blessed throughout the Holiday season and beyond. 

In Solidarity, 

Muhammad

September 2023

Greetings my UAW Brothers and Sisters.  Fall is among us and we are still experiencing summer like weather.  As our brothers and sisters in our UAW family are possibly on the verge of a strike, let us keep in mind how those of us between contracts can support our fellow UAW members.  Nobody wants to strike, but if we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything.  Our members, most who have been working 7 days a week and double shifts, deserve to be compensated and taken care of with decent benefits and adequate time off to recharge and enjoy family time.  I hear some in the community say they are asking too much. Well, they have no idea what it is like standing on a line for 8,10,12, 16 hours a day in sweltering heat, and barely given enough time to use the bathroom.  I have toured a couple of plants and will never complain about what we do in the hospital compared to their workday.  If you can give a little extra to the food pantries this month, donate anything you can to emergency agencies that help the unemployed and raise a hand (or two) to help someone in need.  You never know when it could be you. 

In Solidarity,

Muhammad

February 2023

Happy Black History month to all my sisters and brothers of UAW Local 4911.  As the seasons are constantly changing, so are the ways we treat and interact with one another.  Our nation seems to be getting more and more divided, but this is not something that has to be the norm.  We can look at one another and appreciate each other and value our likenesses and differences that make us who we are.  There is nothing wrong with thinking different than your brother or sister if we are striving for the same common goal.   We all want to live happy, successful, loving lives and enjoy the fruits of our labor.  Help your fellow man or woman when they are down for more fulfillment.  Give a helping hand regardless of bitterness you may feel toward someone that is different than you or has different beliefs than you.   A smile is contagious and so is a positive attitude.   In the Army, I trusted my brothers and sisters on the line to have my back regardless of race, creed, or color.   We were united as one Army, one team - one suffers, we all suffer.  Stay humble, empathetic and love your co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers you meet just as you love God, your family and close friends.  Learn to respect and accept someone or something that is different than yourself.  This world and your everyday life will be so much more positive when you show kindness to one another.  Remember I am Man, I am Woman, I am Human.  

In Solidarity,

Muhammad Qawwee II

December 2022

Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters with UAW Local 4911!  Hopefully everyone has plans for the upcoming holidays to do something worthwhile with family and friends.

I am hoping by the time you receive this article, our members will have a new 3 year bargaining agreement. For the last three and a half months our bargaining team has been burning the midnight oil, meeting multiple times with Sparrow’s management to come to a pretty good tentative agreement that benefits the majority of our members.  We have fought hard to expand coverages in policies like bereavement, violence in the workplace, and harassment just to name a few.  Of course we were able to get pretty good wage progression increases throughout each year of the contract.  We were able to bargain for no increase in insurance premiums and LOWER premiums for the last two years of the contract also.  We maintained all of our current monetary articles in the contract and really didn’t have to give up anything. 

I would personally like to thank every single member of the current bargaining team for their unwavering dedication and for their hard work getting a tentative agreement to bring forward to our members.  Please, if you see any one of them, give them a pat on the back or a handshake for putting in the hard and long hours (sometimes sacrificing family time) to reach this agreement. 

Finally I want to thank all the members of UAW local 4911 that took time out to come to one of the many informational meetings we held regarding the tentative agreement.  We are only as strong as our members and we encourage everyone to get involved and come find out how we all have been working to serve you.  Happy Holidays! 

In Solidarity, Muhammad

September 2022

Happy fall and cooler weather to all my fellow Michiganders and brothers and sisters of UAW.  Hopefully you had a wonderful summer and are ready for the back to school, work, etc.…. grind that fall brings to us.  For us at UAW Local 4911 this also brings an exciting but stressful time as the Union and Sparrow Hospital are going into contract negotiations.  After such an unpredictable and unprecedented time going through Covid the last 2 ½ years, working in probably the most stressful and strenuous times on the job I’ve ever had as a working adult, I am hopeful that a greater time is upon us.  I know a lot of members felt unappreciated, undervalued, overworked and underpaid throughout this time and I truly understand your pain.  Our goal going into this year’s negotiations is to make sure all of us are working in a healthy and safe environment with adequate staff to support us, wages that represent the great job we do 24/7 365 days a year, and affordable insurance, so if something was to happen to one of us,  we would be able to heal without the stress of wondering if our family would be taken care of, and if our jobs will be there upon returning.  All of these factors come into play heading into negotiations between Sparrow and the bargaining team of your peers. I have your back, and understand your needs to continue to be a productive Sparrow employee and feel valued, appreciated, and compensated for a hard day’s work!  Throughout our bargaining we will keep our members updated on the progress we are making and try to be as transparent as possible until we reach a unified agreement.  Stay tuned and Go Green, Go White! 
In Solidarity, 

Muhammad

April 2022

Greetings and happy spring everyone!  As the weather has started to bring up our annual flowers in our garden, what annual check have you done lately?  Most of us have our annual medical check-up, our annual eye exam, and our bi-annual dental cleanings and check-ups, but when was the last time you had or have done a mental check-up on yourself?  Most of us probably have not done this at all and it is a real situation that is affecting almost everyone I know here in the healthcare system.  Dealing with the on-going Covid pandemic over the last two years has had us, in the healthcare field, feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated.  We always strive to be our best, but unfortunately too many of us just come to work and start going through the motions.  Our focus has changed and become blurred over the constant stress of trying to give the best care and take care of ourselves.  It leads to emotional exhaustion which then leads to lower patient satisfaction, higher medication errors, higher infections, and unfortunately a higher mortality rate among healthcare systems.  These feelings not only affect work but it also bleeds into our personal lives.  Lower quality of relationships or marital satisfaction, shorter life span, PTSD, personal injury or suicide, depression, and decreased immune system function.  All of this combined can put us over the edge at times while at work and/or at home.  There are ways to overcome the stress fatigue that has been over us 2 years and some change.  First, ask yourself, “How am I doing today?  How has my well-being been lately?”  Start making the time to de-stress and step away from the fast pace of work, the negativity that someone or you maybe expressing (and do not know why), and start slowing your thinking and showing positive emotions daily.  Start every morning writing down or saying 3 things that you are grateful for or 3 things that bring a joyful thought to mind.  You can start doing this 1 day a week, 2-3 times a week, or when it works for you.  Also, take time off from your work site and do something for yourself personally.  Don’t even think about work - take a vacation, work in a garden, or binge on Netflix.  See hope in your daily and future endeavors and make that a priority moving forward.  Hope and positivity in small amounts, does wonders for our emotions, attitude and overall well-being.  Take stock in your well-being and, trust me, you will not regret it for the rest of your life.  Have a great spring and summer! 
In Solidarity

December 2021

Happy Holidays and greetings from UAW Local 4911.  Hopefully, with this being the end of the year and about to move into a new 2022, all of us can reflect and give each other kudos for surviving the last 20+ months of Covid.  We all, by now, know of someone either related or unrelated that has had Covid or didn’t make it through Covid.  Be grateful for today as tomorrow is not promised to any of us.  Count your blessings that we have endured working, living and maneuvering through this thing called life and adapting to our new normal.  As the new year approaches, so are new challenges and more changing the way we do everyday things in our lives.  Accept the change and move forward in a positive light - not looking at the dark and negative corners of our lives that are behind us.  Spend quality time with family and loved ones, and enjoy the simple parts of life.  Smile to brighten someone’s day and let your light and attitude shine and be contagious.  Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season.  Happy Holidays to all our UAW brothers and sisters in the greater Lansing area and beyond! 

September 2021

As autumn approaches, who would have thought we would still be in this fight to get over and past the horrific COVID-19 virus.  I, for one, thought once we approved multiple vaccines, made them free and widely available to everyone 16 yrs. and over (and then down to 12-15 years of age) we could relax and go back to living somewhat how we used to.  Boy, was I dead wrong!  It has been pushed as a political matter not a health and safety one, which is unfortunate in so many ways.  Working in healthcare and dealing with it firsthand, many of our workers are burnt out and some have chosen to leave working in healthcare altogether.  Now that school is back in full affect and in person, everyone should be aware of each and every way to keep our communities safe at all cost.  FDA’s full approval should put to bed any doubts individuals have about vaccines being made too fast or soon.  Another ongoing event of the last year and a half, is so many of our members directly or indirectly need financial and food assistance.  The sudden change in work, being laid off, or decreased working hours has spread all along cities, towns, and rural areas alike.  Some people have stepped up to help their fellow neighbor, co-worker or church family but we all can do more.  If you haven’t helped someone in need, even if it is to cook dinner for a family you know, look into your heart and reach out to someone.  There are many programs and non-profit entities out there to give to if you don’t know someone who needs help.  We have the food bank, CAUW, and VOA just to name a few.  No donation is too small.  One dollar (or more) helps, even buying an extra 2 or 3 canned goods or an extra box of cereal to give to the food bank or area church that deliver food baskets randomly all around town.  Giving supplies to the many schools that are now open in person such as hand sanitizer, tissues, and disinfecting wipes would go a long way.  I hope my heart and words have inspired someone reading this to try, if you can, to help out in any way possible.  To attempt to make someone else’s and your own life a little bit brighter and fulfilled in a greater way.  Stay safe, mask up and get vaccinated!!  In Solidarity,

May 2021

Good day and happy spring to all of my union brothers and sisters.  As for us at Local 4911 at Sparrow hospital, it has been one heck of a year and then some.  The good news, as the wild and unanticipated Covid surge is finally rescinding and our Covid positive patients are going down.  The bad news is that even though the patients are not positive anymore, they are still remaining in the hospital for longer periods of time.  Our hospital is still almost at 100% capacity and we are seeing younger patients with no underlying health issues before contracting Covid.  This long year and a half has not only put a strain on our local, but healthcare systems nationwide are struggling.  Healthcare workers are burned out, over worked and a lot of them have reevaluated if working in healthcare is where they want to stay.  Many on the fence are retiring early just to get a peace of mind.  We give 110% to make sure we are giving the best care to all patients and treat them like they are a part of our family.  But our internal family has been fractured and being held together with duct tape.  We fight every day in healthcare for additional staff, agency help, or just finding
qualified applicants to apply for openings.  This is also not even taking account of how many of our members themselves contracted Covid.  We are still rolling up our sleeves and putting in the hard work, smiling underneath our N95 mask and helping every patient to the best of our abilities every shift.  So if you know of anyone who works in healthcare please tell them thank you for your service and dedication.  Nothing puts a warm feeling in a worker as to know they are being thought of and appreciated daily, weekly, monthly and beyond.  In Solidarity,

December 2020

Happy Holidays to all UAW members and I know none of us thought we would still be isolated going into the holiday season.  Along with the increases in the virus around us, at least in our world more of our co-workers are being infected and putting a heavy burden on the staff that are still working hard to service our community.  All of the UAW leadership and members in and outside of our community appreciate you and look up to us.  Your devotion is not going unnoticed and I have people comment on the excellent job we are doing here at Sparrow.  If you get a moment to reflect on this crazy year, patience and courage should be a badge of honor of what we do every day.  Take time (if possible) to appreciate yourself and find time to recharge your spirit from the inside out.  Look at this special time of year to enjoy the small things in life because as we see in the numbers of those who have not won their battle with this virus, the next day is not promised to anyone.  God bless all the members of the UAW and non-members the same.  In Solidarity

September 2020

As our crazy summer has come to an end, the fall festivities are still in a big question bubble for us returning to hayrides and tailgating before football games.  The reality is we have not conquered nor got past this Covid pandemic and still need to be smart by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and using all forms of PPE.  Unfortunately we are seeing & experiencing first hand positive cases going up in our hospital.  Members here at Local 4911 can definitely tell you this deadly virus is real and has changed the way we do our everyday work and practice new normal to keep everyone safe.  Speaking of being safe, our liberty to vote on Nov. 3rd must be done and exercised with the safety of everyone being priority number one!  Here in Michigan we all can vote absentee ballot without having a reason but now people are trusting mailing their ballots in.  All of the nonsense with the USPS have made it not the must trustworthy process either.  All around the state, counties have placed additional drop boxes for ballot collection.  You can go to Michigan.gov/VOTE & find your county clerk office to find out one near you.  Also the drop boxes have security cameras on them and are collected & emptied daily.  However you elect to vote absentee or in-person. Do not let the process discourage you from voting.  Too many powers that be are hoping you just sit at home and let others decide this important election for you.  Also, before Nov. 3rd make sure you know where your voting precinct is if voting in-person.  Because of the pandemic many voting places have been moved.  Call your clerk offices or look it up on the internet to verify where to go.  Bottom line, make your voice be heard and your vote count and don’t let anyone or anything stop you!  In Solidarity

June 2020

These three words: I can’t breathe…it only takes 8 minutes to change the world, a little bravery to record an injustice, a moment to decide to take stand, but it takes practicing a lifetime of silence when  picking a side might mean life or death.

I can’t breathe; applies to all COVID-19 patients who include our Caregivers, family members and friends, who are fighting to live, work and exist.  Thank you to everyone who has shown a united front: coming to work every day to serve the most vulnerable, standing next to your brother or sister in protests or going live on social media during an emotional moment.  During these times, UNITY is important.  This is what the UAW stands for and your VOICE matters.

Our new reality may now be personal protective gear or make shift facemasks when in short supply.  Thank you to those who used your gifts to make masks and help others.  It only takes 8 minutes or less to communicate needing help or safety, let us take that time to show love and support.  Please continue to do your part by attending unconventional methods of virtual meetings and emailed instructions to remain safe.  In return, we will continue to ensure our Caregivers successful returns to their positons safely except for those who have special situations of continuous voluntary furlough, childcare and immune-deficient health concerns.

As the President of Local 4911, I would like to ask, what would you do if you heard someone say, “ I can’t breathe?” I challenge you: Please do not let it take you more than 8 minutes to respond.  Do Not Be Silent, We Are the UAW!

February 2020