Bronx, NY – 100 Bronx nursing home workers reached a tentative three-year agreement averting a one-day strike planned for tomorrow morning.

 

Certified nursing assistants (“CNAs”), licensed practical nurses (“LPNs”), food service staff, and others working at the Concourse Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (“Concourse Rehab”) secured annual 4% raises for the next three years, and preserved their industry-leading no-cost family health insurance (with zero premiums, deductibles, and co-pays), and defined-benefit pension plan.

 

Layoff protections will now be extended to the caregivers, members of 1199SEIU, with over ten years of service. The deal includes a new fund to provide legal support to immigrant members facing changes in work status, establishes a committee to review the impact of AI in healthcare, and maintains the Job Security and Training Funds which protects workers who have been laid off and allows workers gain new skills to advance their careers in healthcare.

 

The nursing home staff explained that recruiting and retaining long-term employees is key for the elderly living with chronic conditions and cognitive decline. Greater turnover of nursing staff is associated with lower quality of care along multiple measures according to a 2023 JAMA study, and a 2021 study found a link between the use of agency staff and lower quality ratings 

 

That’s why the 1199SEIU members fought for and won contract language limiting the use of agency workers to ensure that all caregivers will receive the protections and benefits of the contract–and to ensure that elderly residents receive the quality care that they deserve. 

 

The new agreement runs through September 30, 2029.