Located in Glens Falls in New York's Adirondack region, the 125 caregivers at the Stanton Nursing Home have voted to join 1199SEIU. They join their union sisters and brothers from The Avenue and Dutch Manor, which are part of the corporate Capital Living Nursing Home Group in the area.

1199 caregivers from The Avenue and Dutch Manor played a pivotal role in the organizing effort, explaining to Stanton workers how life got better with the union. 1199 members at Fort Hudson--another nursing home in the Glens Falls area but not part of the Capital Living group--also helped encourage Stanton caregivers to unite with 1199SEIU.

They all believe that increasing union density will raise standards of wages, benefits and quality care for everyone. Nursing home union density in Warren County is now 65 percent

Mary Clark: a 6-year Stanton LPN, said, "Short staffing is not good for patients and also puts my license at risk. Now, with better benefits and wages, people will want to work here and we can start to solve short staffing problem."

Patricia Hood, a Stanton CNA for 30 years, is known by her co-workers as "Mama Hood". "When I started, this was a ‘real home’ for the elderly old and sick,” she recalls. “Then it went corporate. I want to bring it back to a home again. The workers need to have a voice in making that happen and- the union will give us that voice. We want a contract with good wages and benefits to attract a new generation of dedicated, younger workers who will want to stay and work here at Stanton."

A new employee, Thomas Gardner, has been an LPN at Stanton for only three months at Stanton but was a union activist in Buffalo where we worked at a VA hospital before moving to Glens Falls. "I was impressed that the workers from Fort Hudson and other Capital Living facilities were so helpful in talking to everyone and getting out accurate information about the union. I believe that makes a difference --- other 1199 workers talking to Stanton workers."