Rochester, NY -  Caregivers at Rochester Regional’s Unity Living Center^[1] will soon hit the picket line as management continues to reject meaningful proposals intended to support caregivers and their families. Earlier this month, workers unanimously voted to authorize a picket if a settlement could not be reached.  The union contract covering more than 110 workers originally expired July 31, 2025, and following multiple extensions, the contract expired February 18th.  Caregivers are represented by 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare workers union.

 

“Our members do vitality important work to care for residents in this community, yet leaders at Rochester Regional continue to offer benefits and wages that aren’t competitive enough to recruit or retain workers. This is exactly why nursing home workers are willing to picket,” said Kathy Ville, 1199SEIU Administrative Organizer and lead negotiator.

 

Caregivers are fighting for competitive wages to help recruit and retain workers, staffing incentive pay, and preceptor pay.  Nursing home workers are demanding that the employer provide a staffing incentive bonus when units are working with a 50% vacancy rate.  A staffing incentive bonus could be triggered to ensure those units maintain adequate staffing ratios, avoiding staff burnout and increasing retention rates. 

 

Workers say that preceptor pay is key in contract talks.  Preceptor pay provides staff a wage increase for training newly hired employees into vacant positions. 

 

“We are dedicated to our patients, but ongoing staffing issues and unfair pay make it harder to provide the care our community deserves.  Safe staffing levels and fair compensation aren’t just about us, they’re about protecting patient care,” said Bre’Shawna Jones.

 

“We’ve been negotiating since August and management refuses to address staffing, fair pay, and childcare support. When nursing staff are stretched thin, we are over worked and under paid,” said Kiara Grey-Bradley, Licensed Practical Nurse.  

 

“Recently, we had no Certified Nurse Assistant on our specialty unit and we were left to pass pills, do meals, provide care, and do wound care. This is too much work and this is unfair. We’re standing up for our residents just as much as ourselves. The community trusts us with their loved ones. We’re asking our employer to give us the resources to care for our residents with dignity,” said Grey-Bradley.

 

Caregivers are set to return to contract talks on Wednesday, March 4^th at 9:00 AM. 

 

Union nursing home workers at Rochester Regional’s Unity Living Center work as Certified Nursing Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses, Activity Aides, Unit Secretaries and Physical Therapy Aides. 

 

Nursing home workers across Rochester are making their voices heard.  Earlier this month, workers at The Pearl Nursing Center took their issues to the public^[2]. The contract covering more than 80 union workers at The Pearl Nursing Center expired more than nine months ago on April 30, 2025.  Caregivers have been working without a contract ever since as negotiations between union and management stall. 

 

“We are giving Eminent Care owners an opportunity to come and address workers face to face. We hope this is a good faith effort towards real improvements in their working conditions.  We look forward to resuming contract talks after the meeting in early March,” said Tiara Tazell, 1199SEIU Administrative Organizer and Lead Negotiator.   

 

Caregivers at The Pearl Nursing Center are fighting for a fair contract that includes improved working conditions, competitive wages and quality benefits including childcare to help recruit and retain more workers to care for residents in their nursing home. 

 

“I want to provide the care my residents deserve but it’s hard to do that without enough staff and supplies we need to do our jobs properly. We want to help maintain the health and safety of our residents,” said Rondell Myles, Certified Nurse Assistant.

 

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services notes that The Pearl Nursing Center is a 1 star facility.

 

According to Medicare.gov, The Pearl Nursing Center of Rochester is owned by Jacob Abramczyk, Naftoli Abramczyk, Gabriel Platschek, Sima Shapiro, and Scott Wheeler but day to day management is done by We Care Centers. However, the New York State Department of Health is reviewing a Certificate of Need filed by Brooklyn based Eminent Care Group^[3] to take over operations of the nursing home^[4] in Rochester.  The Certificate of Need cites the owners as Yaakov Geldzahler and Chaim Ausch.

 

1199SEIU members at The Pearl Nursing Center in Rochester work as Certified Nurse Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses, Cooks, Secretaries, Activities Aides, Laundry Workers, Dietary Workers, Maintenance Workers, and Housekeepers. 

 

 

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.