FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: April Ezzell, 1199SEIU Communications, (716)449‐1620

Interview Opportunity

Local Healthcare Workers Won’t Accept Concessions from Downstate Owners.

WHO: Nursing Home Workers

WHAT: Informational Picket

WHEN: October 27, 2021 from 2pm-4pm
Press conference at 3pm

WHERE: Cayuga Ridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1229 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850

WHY: More than 70 healthcare workers represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East at Cayuga Ridge Nursing Home in Ithaca, NY have been working short-staffed and without a union contract since May 1, 2021. Last month, workers held a rally to protest the lack of a fair contract and management’s concessionary proposals – increased health insurance costs, lack of a secure retirement, below market wage increases.

“This employer is denying fair wages and important benefits to workers while continuing to hire out-of-town agency staff to come work for higher rates,” says Emmanuel White, 1199SEIU Organizer. “The New York City based owners of Cayuga Ridge, Shalom and Barry Braunstein, are disrespecting essential healthcare workers by not working harder to reach an agreement at the bargaining table.”

“We are very short staffed, even before the pandemic, says Nicole Murray, a Certified Nurse Assistant. “On my unit there are 37 residents and only 1 aide and me until 7pm. I work on the dementia unit and it’s hard and exhausting. Our residents need a lot of care and it’s a safety issue for them and me. We need more staff because residents deserve quality care and with so many of them and so few of us, it’s impossible to do sometimes.”

Caregivers at the Ithaca area nursing home work as Unit Clerks, Grounds Keepers, Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, Social Workers, and Physical Therapy Assistants. Workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest‐growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 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.