Political Action Center

Florida Nursing Home Caregivers Secure More Time to Care for Their Residents

Workers agree to new contract with guaranteed raises and hours of work.

MIAMI, FL – While the Supreme Court issues a split decision on what some are characterizing as a blow to the country’s labor unions, the same can’t be said for 1199SEIU Florida members. Caregivers at eight Greystone nursing homes in Florida agreed to a new union contract with the company.



Concerned about their employer’s proposal to no longer guarantee an eight hour work day, which would have meant less time with residents and a loss of pay, more than 600 healthcare workers at the Greystone Health Management- owned nursing homes around the state, including the South Florida, St. Petersburg and Ocala areas, stood strong and were ready to strike on July 2, 2014 for their residents and their families. The new contract guarantees an eight-hour workday and 20-cents an hour raise every six months.



“It’s a good feeling to have our new contract and not have to strike,” explained Christine Gadson, a CNA of 28 years who works at Apollo Health and Rehabilitation Center in St. Petersburg. “Now we can just do what we do best… care for our residents. Knowing that we’ll be getting raises every six months, helps relieve the every-day burden of wondering how we make ends meet for our families.”



While the decision to strike was not easy, caregivers at Greystone-owned nursing homes, including Lexington and Apollo Health & Rehabilitation Centers and North Rehabilitation Center in St. Petersburg, North Beach and Unity Rehabilitation Centers, as well as Wilton Manors Health & Rehabilitation Center in South Florida, stood ready to settle the contract or strike because they felt overburdened and underpaid. Greystone Health Management’s previous offer, during the contentious contract negotiations, would have required already overburdened caregivers to do more with less.



“We stood together and we stood strong for our community,” said Gloria Weems, a certified-nursing assistant who has worked at the Lodge Health and Rehabilitation Center for more than 25 years. “We are glad that we averted a strike and that we will be able to have more time to care for our residents, who are like family to us. On the home front, we will be able to better provide for our families and pay our bills.”



While Greystone caregivers achieved a hard-fought victory for residents and their families, workers, including caregivers, all over the country are fighting for a living wage, McDonalds and Walmart serve as examples how corporations are making profits, while driving workers into poverty. The same can be said for Florida’s nursing home industry, which ranked 43rd in the country in long-term elderly care, according to a recent report by AARP. It is just another mark on the industry, where caregivers and residents are being treated as commodities and having all in the name of earnings while Tallahassee politicians are giving the industry a pass. 1199SEIU members working at nursing homes across the state are committed to raising the bar and providing the best care possible to their residents and patients.



1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East Florida represents more than 25,000 nurses and healthcare workers throughout the state and 400,000 workers across Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington, D.C., 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union.

News Feed