Media Advisory

Immediate Release: August 22, 2019

Contact: Mindy Berman | 518.229.0486 | mindyb@1199.org

“We Need To Be Healthy To Care For Our Residents, But We Can’t Even Afford Health Insurance”

What: Informational Picket

The informational picket is not a strike. Workers will picket on their own time—lunch, breaks, a day off, etc. There will be no work stoppage. Shifts and services will not be interrupted.

When: THURSDAY, August 22, 2019
2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: The Pines At Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation
100 Franklin Avenue, Poughkeepsie

Interviews, Photo and Video Opportunities Available

Today, Thursday, August 22, nursing home caregivers will be picketing at The Pines At Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation. Members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East are holding the informational picket to reveal the corporate owner’s lack of attention to affordable benefits and safe staffing—and its impact on quality resident care. They will be outside the facility from 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at 100 Franklin Avenue, Poughkeepsie.

The 1199SEIU members have been negotiating a contract for several months, to no avail. Their proposals are not out of the ordinary; market wage increases, affordable health benefits, and the ability to retire with security are standard in healthcare industry contracts. Workers and management generally agree that these provisions help to attract and retain qualified employees and protect continuity of resident care.

Some remarks from the caregivers who will be picketing:

Andre Greenberg: “Staff turnover is a big problem, but that’s not a surprise when so many workers can’t afford to take care of their own families. What choice is there other than to look for employment somewhere else, when most of the 1199 healthcare facilities in the area offer affordable health benefits and better wages—with opportunities to advance. We have a revolving door of workers, leaving as soon as they find a better job with decent pay and benefits and a better work environment.”

Malcolm Olaker: “Our residents and their families depend on us to to be healthy to care for our residents, but many workers can’t even afford health insurance. We provide quality care and we do that under challenging conditions. It’s the owner’s responsibility to ensure that we have what we need, so we can do our jobs and take care of our own families at the same time.” That’s not a lot to ask of a big for-profit company like the Pines.”

The 1199SEIU bargaining unit includes CNAs, LPNs, dietary, housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance workers, recreation aides, and receptionists.

For more information, see attached leaflet, “Quality Care Before Profit”

####

1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 450,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.