Nursing Home Workers on Strike
By nursing-home-lawyer | May 28, 2007
As the United States population grows and the need for qualified care workers increases, labor strife will naturally become a more prominent part of your decision in choosing a nursing home.
If your loved one is in a nursing home that is on strike, be sure to ask for the qualifications of any replacement workers and be vigilant to make sure that the quality of care does not decrease.
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The union that represents them, Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, and the home’s management have not been able to reach an agreement nine months after the old contract expired.As passing truck drivers honked their horns in a show of solidarity, more than 30 aides, housekeepers and other caregivers beat a drum and chanted in front of the home. Nearly 50 of the home’s 73 unionized workers are on strike; the rest will continue to work because they are worried about losing their jobs, according to Roy Garcia, a union representative.
“I have caregivers that have been working here for 17 or 18 years and are still not making $11 an hour,” Garcia said.
The union has asked for a 12 percent increase in pay over three years and the continuation of free health insurance — both reasonable demands by the standards of other nursing homes in New Jersey, Garcia said.
Christine Vogt, executive director of the home, would not comment on the negotiations. She said the home is fully staffed with replacement workers during the strike, which union leaders said will last until Monday morning unless the two sides decide to meet.
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Topics: Strikes/ Labor Actions, New Jersey Nursing Homes |
