Frontline Nursing Home Workers at Six Different RI Homes to Hold Pickets Thursday
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Nursing home workers will be taking to the picket line Thursday following strike votes, after their contract requests for "safe staffing, fair wages, affordable healthcare, and training have been ignored for over a year," according to the SEIU.
After announcing strike deadlines at multiple facilities for 6 AM, Wednesday, July 29, caregivers at six nursing homes will hold informational pickets at their facilities calling on management to listen to their demands.
"Over one year ago, caregivers at Genesis Pawtucket Nursing Center, Hopkins Manor, Bannister House, Charlesgate Nursing Home, Aldersbridge Nursing Home and Genesis Greenville submitted contact proposals that would ensure residents receive the federally recommended 4.1 hours of care per day and would provide workers with fair pay and benefits on par with neighboring states," said SEIU.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"These proposals would begin to address the short-staffing crisis that has plagued Rhode Island nursing homes for years and has contributed to untimely deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, but thus far management has refused to respond in a meaningful way. Now, with the strike deadline looming, caregivers are sending a strong, united message to management that they won’t back down until there is true progress at the bargaining table," SEIU continued.
“For over a year now, we’ve been fighting for a contract that is fair to caregivers and residents,” said Adanjesus Marin, Lead Organizer for SEIU 1199NE. “Unfortunately, management has made it clear that their bottom line is more important to them than safety or high-quality care for residents. Frontline workers are willing to do whatever it takes - including strike - in order to settle fair union contracts that invest in residents and staff.”
In Providence, and "Informational Picket for Safe Staffing Contract" will take place on Thursday, July 16 at 3:30 at the Bannister Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing at 135 Dodge Street.
Management Response
"It's unfortunate the union choose to strike during the pandemic," said RIHCA President Scott Fraser. "Meaningful worker pay will be resolved by the restoration of Medicaid cuts by Governor Raimondo -- not unfunded mandates."
Fraser released the following statement on Wednesday
“This action – which includes full homes of workers walking off the job -- will have a detrimental impact on RI’s most frail elderly residents living in our nursing homes. Many of our residents have the same workers caring for them each day. Now the people they rely on will not show up to work. Five of our 64 members are union homes.
We have been advocating for increases in Medicaid funding for years, which would be of great benefit to our workers, yet the current governor’s budget has cut Medicaid every year she has been in office. In fact, she presented a budget with $7.5 million in cuts this year alone, including the loss of millions in federal matching funds. We will continue to advocate aggressively for the funding we need to provide quality care and meaningful pay to our valued workers.
RI’s nursing homes have been rated second in the nation for quality and listed first in the nation in infection control. The union is advocating for 4.1 hours of care, which is an ask not replicated in any state in the nation. In fact, the only two states in NE with a mandatory hours mandate are VT at 3.0 and CT at 1.9. Nursing homes like those in RI and MA follow the CMS federal guidelines for staffing. Ri is presently at 3.62 hours of care and doing an excellent job providing high-quality care to the state’s most frail elderly.
The bottom line is the unfunded mandate the union is advocating for – which would cost $44 million -- will decimate our nursing homes. This could leave workers with no jobs and our most frail elderly residents with no homes.”
