FT MYERS, FL – After months of unsuccessful efforts to reach a contract settlement, the caregivers of the for-profit Consulate of North Fort Myers nursing home will launch a strike this coming Monday, April 13, on a week where workers around the country will sound off on being underpaid and their fight for a $15/hour minimum wage. Members, who have been bargaining for the past eight months without receiving a wage or healthcare proposal from the company, are frustrated with management’s refusal to propose what 17 other 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU Florida) -unionized facilities already have.
“Deciding to strike and temporarily leave our residents bedside is a very hard decision,” said Gertrude Lampomarede, a certified nursing assistant at Consulate of North Fort Myers. “They are part of our extended family. But, we also have to think of our families, and their needs. There are a lot of people standing up for better pay in this country. I doubt that many people know how little we are paid to care for the community’s family members. Lives must come first in healthcare. That means caregivers providing the best care possible to residents, and a company that treats those caregivers with dignity and respect.”
While the decision to strike was not easy, the caregivers at Consulate of North Fort Myers are going on strike because they feel as if they are overburdened and underpaid. Last year, 17 Consulate Health Care facilities represented by 1199SEIU Florida, settled contract agreements that guarantee fair pay and better working conditions. On July 17, 2014, the caregivers, at Consulate’s North Fort Myers facility, voted to form a union and join 1199SEIU Florida. More than eight months later, caregivers at the North Fort Myers facility have yet to see a proposal on wages and health care.
“The healthcare industry carries a huge responsibility to our communities,” said Monica Russo, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. “1199SEIU Florida members believe that residents, patients and frontline caregivers should always be the first priority. The caregivers at Consulate of North Fort Myers are holding management accountable.”
Consulate, one of Florida’s largest nursing home owners, positions itself as “providing compassionate care to meet the needs of the communities we serve…” Yet public records show that Consulate facilities in Florida have earned a number of state and federal fines over the last few years of more than $1.5 million.
Caregivers want the community to know that this was a hard decision, but felt they had no other choice and needed to send a clear message to Consulate. Workers hope that this strike encourages management to come back to the table to bargain in good faith. There are currently no future bargaining dates.
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.
“Deciding to strike and temporarily leave our residents bedside is a very hard decision,” said Gertrude Lampomarede, a certified nursing assistant at Consulate of North Fort Myers. “They are part of our extended family. But, we also have to think of our families, and their needs. There are a lot of people standing up for better pay in this country. I doubt that many people know how little we are paid to care for the community’s family members. Lives must come first in healthcare. That means caregivers providing the best care possible to residents, and a company that treats those caregivers with dignity and respect.”
While the decision to strike was not easy, the caregivers at Consulate of North Fort Myers are going on strike because they feel as if they are overburdened and underpaid. Last year, 17 Consulate Health Care facilities represented by 1199SEIU Florida, settled contract agreements that guarantee fair pay and better working conditions. On July 17, 2014, the caregivers, at Consulate’s North Fort Myers facility, voted to form a union and join 1199SEIU Florida. More than eight months later, caregivers at the North Fort Myers facility have yet to see a proposal on wages and health care.
“The healthcare industry carries a huge responsibility to our communities,” said Monica Russo, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. “1199SEIU Florida members believe that residents, patients and frontline caregivers should always be the first priority. The caregivers at Consulate of North Fort Myers are holding management accountable.”
Consulate, one of Florida’s largest nursing home owners, positions itself as “providing compassionate care to meet the needs of the communities we serve…” Yet public records show that Consulate facilities in Florida have earned a number of state and federal fines over the last few years of more than $1.5 million.
Caregivers want the community to know that this was a hard decision, but felt they had no other choice and needed to send a clear message to Consulate. Workers hope that this strike encourages management to come back to the table to bargain in good faith. There are currently no future bargaining dates.
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.
