On Thursday, June 20, 120 caregivers and other workers with Unity Living Nursing Home in Rochester, New York voted by a strong majority to join with 1199SEIU. The workers—who include Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants and Unit Secretaries—voted yes for respect, a voice in resident care, fair wages, job security and more.



“I have always wanted to be a part of a healthcare workers union in order to improve my benefits and my working conditions,” said Shanté Jenkins, a Certified Nursing Assistant with Unity Living. “By forming our union we can all work together to achieve our goals.”



The workers stood together against an anti-union campaign by Unity Living’s administration. As the workers were organizing, management went to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to propose that the Unity Living workers vote with the workers at Edna Tina Wilson Living Center, a co-owned facility. These are separate nursing homes approximately 20 minutes from each other, and it seemed as though management was attempting to influence the election. The NLRB ended up ruling that the Unity Living workers did not need to vote with workers at Edna Tina.



With this victory, the Unity Living workers are now united with the 21,000 members of 1199SEIU in the Upstate New York region.