GR Vets Home lays off 144 union workers

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - About 144 union workers were laid off Tuesday from the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and will be replaced by non-union employees.

The vets home has battled over privatizing some healthcare workers since 2011 . The Michigan Legislature approved privatizing as a cost-cutting move, but litigation blocked its implementation since then.

But in December 2012, the complaint was withdrawn, which cleared the way for making some health care positions, such as orderlies, non-union rather than union workers.

Supporters say the move saves money, but opponents say it will result in a lower quality of care.

Those laid off will stay on their job until sometime in early March, a spokesperson for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said.