Workers picketed Michael Malotz Pavilion July 15 to say sale of the home will reduce quality of care.

Workers at the Michael Malotz Skilled Nursing Pavilion in Yonkers, NY held an informational picket on July 15 to protest the proposed sale of the facility by the home’s owner, St. John’s Riverside Hospital.

The buyer is Adira at Riverside Rehabilitation, a for-profit entity which has a poor labor track record. At Adira’s Sprain Brook Manor in nearby Scarsdale, 1199SEIU members have struggled with the employer for years; the company has cut their wages and benefits, eliminated union positions, subcontracted to outside corporations and incurred multiple labor law violations. In early July, a state court judge temporarily halted the Malotz sale while the NYS Attorney General and Dept. of Health reviewed objections by 1199SEIU regarding its impact on caregivers and the quality of care at the institution.

If the sale to Adira proceeds the jobs of 140 workers—who are currently covered by the Union’s contract with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Nursing Homes—are at risk. Many have been with the Pavilion since it opened its doors decades ago.

“We’re concerned because continuity of care is a critical part of quality care—and what’s more important than that? If the sale is allowed to occur, workers will lose their jobs or at best work with drastically reduced wages and benefits. It’s likely that the caregivers who the residents have come to trust and rely upon would not work here anymore,” said CNA Ray Outerbridge, a delegate at Malotz.

At press time, workers at Sprain Brook and Malotz were planning additional actions to keep the pressure on Adira.

Read more from the official 1199SEIU magazine ‘Our Life and Times’