There is currently no law in Michigan — or most states — limiting how many consecutive hours a hospital can force a nurse to work. Since most hospital nurses work 12-hour shifts, mandatory overtime routinely produces 16-, 18-, and even 24-hour stretches at the bedside. Nurses have no right to refuse.
That's what the Michigan Nurses Association has been fighting to change, and on April 15, the Michigan Senate passed a bipartisan package of bills that would ban the abusive use of mandatory overtime in Michigan hospitals. If signed into law, Michigan would become the 19th state with restrictions on mandatory nurse overtime.
What the Bills Actually Do
The Senate package prohibits hospitals from requiring nurses to work overtime except in cases of a declared emergency or other narrow circumstances that genuinely prevent adequate staffing. Routine use of mandatory overtime as a staffing strategy — which is common practice in Michigan hospitals today — would be prohibited.
Aaron McCormick, RN, president of the Michigan Nurses Association, said the bills reflect what nurses have been saying for years. "Mandatory overtime should only be used in rare circumstances, not every day as a staffing strategy like it is right now in hospitals across the state," McCormick said. "Banning the abuse of mandatory overtime will help every hospital nurse in Michigan, making the workplace more sustainable for us and safer for the patients we take care of."
The bills passed with bipartisan support, led by Senators Chang and McBroom. They now head to the House Government Operations Committee, where they await a hearing.
Why Mandatory Overtime Is a Patient Safety Issue
The clinical case against mandatory overtime is well-established. Fatigue is a direct patient safety risk: error rates rise significantly after 12 hours, and nurses working extended shifts are more likely to miss early deterioration signs, make medication errors, and skip safety checks. Research consistently links shift length over 12 hours to increased adverse events.
From a workforce standpoint, mandatory overtime is also a retention toxin. It's a primary driver of nurses leaving hospital employment — and once experienced nurses leave, hospitals often respond by mandating even more overtime from the remaining staff, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. The Michigan bills are designed to break that cycle by removing mandatory overtime as a default management tool.
Where 18 Other States Already Are
Michigan would join 18 states that have already enacted some form of mandatory overtime restriction for nurses. These laws vary in structure — some cap total hours per shift, some require advance notice before mandatory overtime can be used, and some allow nurses to refuse mandatory overtime after a certain number of consecutive hours. California, for example, prohibits mandatory overtime for nurses entirely except during declared emergencies.
The evidence from states with existing restrictions shows that these laws haven't caused the hospital staffing collapses that industry groups predicted. Instead, hospitals in restricted states have been forced to develop more sustainable staffing models — better scheduling software, float pools, agency relationships — rather than relying on mandatory overtime as a cheap patch.
Next Steps in Michigan
The bills are now in the House Government Operations Committee. The MNA is pushing for a hearing before the current legislative session ends. Opposition from hospital industry groups is expected, and the House timeline is uncertain. Nurses in Michigan are tracking the bills and conducting outreach to House members.
I've worked mandatory overtime. Every nurse who has worked a hospital floor has. At hour 14, your cognitive performance is degraded in ways you don't fully perceive in the moment — the literature on this is unambiguous. What I find meaningful about Michigan's Senate vote is that it's bipartisan. When Republican and Democratic legislators agree that something is harming nurses and patients, it's usually because the evidence is that clear. The push now is to get a House hearing before session runs out. If you're a Michigan nurse, this is the moment to contact your House representative. Eighteen states have done this without their hospitals falling apart. Michigan can too.