Workers at 12 for-profit WNY nursing homes authorize one-day strikes: 'Our next step is really not to hold back'

Buffalo News - 7/1/2022

Jul. 1—Union workers at 12 for-profit nursing homes in Western New York have voted to authorize one-day strikes if negotiations for new labor contracts fail to move toward a resolution.

"If we're able to settle these contracts and win the wages we've been fighting for, there's no need to move forward with the one-day strike," said Grace Bogdanove, vice president for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East'sWestern New York nursing home division.

But, she noted, the union has been at the table for months without settlements. Most of the contracts expired April 30.

"Our next step is really not to hold back," Bogdanove said.

1199SEIU is negotiating contracts for more than 1,200 employees across 12 facilities owned by six different groups: Autumn View in Hamburg; Garden Gate in Cheektowaga; Northgate in North Tonawanda; Seneca Health Care Center in West Seneca; Fiddler's Green Manor in Springville; Humboldt House Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Buffalo; Elderwood at Lockport; Elderwood at Williamsville; Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Buffalo; Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing; Newfane Rehabilitation; and Gowanda Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

While not all of the 1,200 workers voted, Bogdanove said 98.6% of those who did authorized one-day strikes. Voting at the last nursing home, Gowanda Rehabilitation, was completed Wednesday.

A major issue revolves around low wages for service workers, such as dietary aides and housekeepers, who can start at the regional minimum wage of $13.20 an hour.

The union is calling for a $15 minimum wage for service workers, higher starting rates for new caregivers and wage scales for experienced workers.

James Funderburk, a housekeeper at Elderwood at Williamsville, said the majority of his co-workers in the service area make minimum wage, which is hurting the facility's ability to recruit and retain employees. Certified nursing assistants at the facility start under $15 an hour, he added.

Funderburk, who has worked at the facility for nearly 12 years, said he's stayed at the nursing home because of the relationships he's formed over the years. He also has a desire to improve the facility through labor talks.

"I want to see this thing through," he said.

In a statement, Elderwood said it has invested significantly in wages, benefits and programs for employees and continues to bargain in good faith with the union.

"We continue to focus our efforts at the bargaining table and to engage in meaningful dialog about the concerns 1199SEIU has put forth to date," Elderwood said. "So far, we believe that substantive progress toward a new agreement has been made. This includes a wage plan that represents the most generous wage offer Elderwood has ever extended in a collective bargaining environment."

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