Nursing home workers at 24 facilities vote to strike
Nursing home workers from 24 facilities across the state, including two in Washington and Fayette counties, plan to strike starting on Sept. 2 if they don’t reach a contract agreement with the owners of three of Pennsylvania’s biggest chains.
Among the 24 facilities are The Grove at Washington, owned by Comprehensive Healthcare, and Uniontown Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, owned by Guardian Healthcare.
SEIU Healthcare PA, which represents the nursing home workers, cited unfair labor practices and said in a press release that those companies have refused to provide information about staffing and agency costs during contract bargaining.
SEIU Healthcare says the companies are offering lower wages than last year, despite nursing homes receiving a $600 million investment in funding from the state budget.
Among the workers’ demands are a substantial increase in wages, employer-paid health insurance, and assurance that employers follow new state regulations governing staffing in nursing homes, and a written commitment not to interfere with the rights of workers who choose to form their union.
“We cannot allow nursing home owners to be unaccountable, refuse to negotiate fair contracts, or profit off of our most vulnerable and the workers who care for them,” said Matthew Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. “As the largest union of health-care workers in Pennsylvania, our members will do whatever it takes to protect their residents and demand the investment into their jobs that they deserve.”
The Grove at Washington operates about 74 beds, while Uniontown Healthcare operates about 120 beds.
Officials from the Grove declined to comment. Guardian Healthcare, parent company of Uniontown Healthcare, did not respond to an emailed request for comment by deadline Tuesday.