Buffalo, NY - More than 200 nursing home workers at four rural facilities in Western New York avoided a week-long strike after they reached a 2-year agreement this month. In a near unanimous vote, caregivers at 4 rural nursing homes ratified their new 2-year contract with Personal Healthcare. In February, caregivers held an informational picket to draw attention to short staffing, lack of fair wages and poor health insurance coverage. In March, 97% voted in favor of a week-long strike after months of negotiations without a fair contract. Union nursing home workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the largest healthcare workers union in the country.
The 1199SEIU office in Miramar opened its doors to members and their families looking for assistance with applications for TPS or Temporary Protected Status and the Biden Administration’s parole program. Both programs provide temporary protections for migrants from designated countries that are experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other hardships or humanitarian crises.
The ratification vote on Friday, April 14, was the culmination of months of negotiating that began in September 2022. Technical workers at St. Anthony Community Hospital voted to become 1199SEIU members in September 2021. The following July, the service workers at St. Anthony, Schervier Pavilion and Mount Alverno Assisted Living Center joined them. Negotiations were held together, resulting in one contract for all 240 healthcare workers.
WHO: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, 1199SEIU Training & Employment Funds, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, County of Monroe Industrial Agency (COMIDA), Rochester Employment Opportunity Center (REOC), 1199SEIU Healthcare Education Project, Strong Memorial Hospital/University at Rochester Medical Center, New York State Assemblymember Demond Meeks, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, and City of Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, Program Participants.
MIAMI – April is national Care Workers Recognition Month, recognizing the dedication and importance of essential caregivers, such as nursing home workers, across the country.
There has been a purple wave of 1199SEIU healthcare workers converging at the Florida State Capitol building during the 2023 legislative session. Hospital staff and nursing home workers have met with dozens of state lawmakers to encourage them to support and implement effective solutions in Florida healthcare facilities that will respect workers (wages scales and agency pay standards), offer worker liability protections, pay staff (increased floor and ceiling wages) and include safe staffing levels (with quality incentives for employers). Healthcare workers are advocating for the following:
Thousands of Healthcare Workers will rally statewide Wednesday to Protest Governor Hochul’s Proposed Budget
Healthcare workers in cities and towns across New York will bang on pots and pans in front of their institutions and hold rallies to raise the alarm that Gov. Hochul’s proposed budget neglects NY’s healthcare needs.
A New Orleans’-style funeral march to Governor Hochul’s office will be followed by non-violent civil disobedience to draw attention to the deadly impact of healthcare cuts.