FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Contact: April Ezzell, 1199SEIU Communications (716) 449-16220

 

More than 300 nursing home workers at Weinberg Campus will strike to protest poorly managed facility, unpaid benefits, low wages, and inadequate staffing levels - while CEO Bob Mayer among highest paid non-profit leaders in Western New York

 

Getzville, NY – Nursing home workers at one of the last non-profit facilities in Western New York plan to hold a two-day strike beginning Wednesday, July 31^st at 6:00 AM. Caregivers at Weinberg Campus near Amherst will hold a 48-hour strike to protest poorly managed facility, unpaid benefits, low wages, and inadequate staffing levels.  

The two-year labor contract covering more than 300 nursing home workers at Weinberg Campus near Amherst expired October 31, 2023.  Caregivers are represented by 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare workers union in the country. 

Over the last year, caregivers have fought hard to lobby state officials to secure millions in Vital Access Provider Funding¹ and significant increases to Medicaid Reimbursement² rates for the struggling facility.  “We’ve helped Weinberg win funding from the state and now we won’t accept less than what we deserve,” said John Raczynski, Cook at the facility for more than 23 years. 

Despite additional state funding, Weinberg Campus is behind on payments for employee benefits such as healthcare, pension, and other earned entitlements. Payments to vendors providing these benefits to workers are delinquent.   

Workers say that minimum wage rates for many jobs do not help to recruit and retain employees to provide care for residents.  Pay rates at the Amherst site have remained unchanged since November 2022.   

“They won’t even pay us what we deserve after all we have done to keep Weinberg afloat,” said Annie Marie Przbysz, Patient Care Assistant/Med Tech.  “We need a fair contract and leadership we can trust will do right by us and the residents we serve,” said Przbysz, a 26-year employee at the Amherst facility.  

 CEO Bob Mayer is one of the highest paid leaders in Western New York. In 2022, Robert T. Mayer, President and CEO of Weinberg Campus earned more than $353,000 including salary, pension, and other benefits,³ while some caregivers live paycheck to paycheck. 

As a non-profit, Weinberg Campus is led by a Board of Directors including: Board President Kenneth A. Rogers, Lawrence Cohen, John Craik, Ryan Gellman, Robert Mayer, Monica Neuwirt, and Orrin Tobbe. This is the same board of directors that decided to put a halt to a potential sale to a for-profit ownership group back in 2017.⁴ 

 1199SEIU issued a 10-day notice to Weinberg Campus leaders and the New York State Department of Health last week in preparation for the two-day strike set to begin on Wednesday, July 31 at 6:00 AM and end Friday, August 2 at 5:59 AM when nursing home workers will return to work.  

 Caregivers at Weinberg Campus are Food Service Workers, Maintenance Workers, Cooks, Environmental Service Workers, Housekeeping, Certified Nurse Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses, Personal Care Aides, Clerical Workers, Home Health Aides, and Community Home Health Aides. 

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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.
https://www.1199seiu.org

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¹ Vital Access Providers (ny.gov)

² Tentative deal would raise Medicaid spending in New York (spectrumlocalnews.com)

 

³ Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, 2022 Form 990, Rosa Coplon Jewish Home and Infirmary, EIN # 16-0743145, at Schedule J, Part II, Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees, last accessed on 7/22/24 and available online at: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/160743145/202430959349300033/full

⁴ How Weinberg Campus plans to remain a nonprofit senior care provider after terminated sale | WBFO