Contract talks for nearly 4,000 unionized workers at 27 different nursing homes in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, and Niagara Counties Began Late February As Union Files Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against WNY’s Largest Nursing Home Chains

WHO: Nursing Home Workers, Elected Officials, and Community Supporters

WHAT: Informational Pickets

WHEN: Wednesday & Two days next Week

WHERE: 

Wednesday, April 9
Garden Gate Manor, 2365 Union Road, Cheektowaga, NY 14227
PRESS CONFERENCE AT 2:30 PM

Monday, April 14
The Grand at Delaware Park, 1205 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209
PRESS CONFERENCE AT 2:30 PM

Wednesday, April 16
Gowanda Rehabilitation & Nursing, 100 Miller St, Gowanda, NY 14070
PRESS CONFERENCE AT 2:30 PM

WHY?                    

1199SEIU issued 10-day notices to (12) twelve long-term care facilities in WNY last several weeks including two of the largest nursing home chains in Western New York. Dozens of caregivers at Elderwood at Lockport and Elderwood at Williamsville picketed yesterday, calling on for-profit homeowners to improve staffing levels at the facilities by offering workers improved benefits and wages at the homes in Erie and Niagara counties. 

Hundreds more bedside caregivers and service workers at four McGuire Group facilities in Erie and Niagara Counties will participate in informational picketing outside their facilities before/after work or during their lunch or break time tomorrow. Nearly 4,000 caregivers at 27 nursing homes in four counties are represented by 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare workers union in the country. 

 The first six pickets happening this week signal the start of a bigger struggle for thousands of Western New York nursing home workers. Last week, caregivers held marches on the boss at three different sites to demand better from their employers.^[1]The union representing bedside caregivers and service workers filed unfair labor practice charges against two of the largest for-profit WNY Nursing Home chains for bargaining in bad faith, with one refusing to negotiate at all.^[2]  

 Thousands of nursing home workers participating in the organizing campaign are fighting for fair and living wages, quality affordable health insurance benefits, and pension improvements that will recruit and retain more workers to provide care for residents. Workers believe that a comprehensive benefits package including quality health insurance, training and education, and a childcare fund will improve staffing levels at area nursing homes. 

 Nursing home workers are part of an historic organizing campaign that includes 27 different long-term care facilities in Erie, Niagara, Allegany, and Cattaraugus Counties. Of the facilities in contract talks, 24 are for-profit and 3 are not-for profit. Negotiations for most began late February. Union contracts covering a majority of the nursing homes are set to expire April 30, 2025, with the exception of the two Elderwood facilities whose contract already expired. For-profit owners implemented their last, best, and final offer. Elderwood cut daily overtime, threatening adequate staffing on evening and overnight shifts, and changed workers health insurance coverage.  

According to CMS data, Elderwood at Lockport and Williamsville total number of nurse staff hours rated below the national and state averages.^[3] However, owners of Elderwood have resources available to increase staffing levels at both facilities. 

The owners of 15 Elderwood facilities are Dr. Jeffrey Rubin and Warren Cole.^[4] Both Rubin and Cole are also owners of Elderwood Administrative Services, Elderwood Development, LLC and Elderwood Staffing Solutions^[5], a staffing agency.^[6] According to 2022 NYS Cost Reports, Elderwood nursing homes reported a net loss of $2.6 million dollars while paying related companies they own $5.5 million dollars for services rendered at homes across WNY. Between 2020 to 2022, Elderwood at Williamsville withdrew $4.5 million dollars from nursing home operations.^[7]

The workers’ fight is part of a broader and more systemic problem facing many nursing homes in New York State. Most of the for-profit nursing home groups reported a loss in 2022^[8] but at the same time many racked up millions and millions of dollars in related party transactions. Related party transactions are a way for nursing homeowners to pay related companies they have ownership or interest in for services provided to the nursing home they own such as laundry, pharmaceuticals, and staffing.^[9] The New York State Department of Health issued guidelines that owners must publicly disclose any related companies that provide services to a long-term care facility. because the NYS DOH have not created a website to implement a standard uniform reporting system, some nursing homes are disclosing some of the required information on their websites.  

According to NYS Cost reports, the 4 McGuire Group nursing homes reported $17 million in financial losses but paid related party companies they own more than $25 million in services billed to facilities.^[10] The sole owner of the McGuire Group is Long Island native, Edward Farbenblum^[11].^[12]

Of the more than 20 care facilities, there are common owners at 15 long-term care facilities including: RCA Group, Centers for Healthcare, Elderwood Group, McGuire Group, Personal Healthcare, and the Sherman Family.

“Elderwood cut off our daily overtime. A lot of facilities don’t offer daily overtime to help with staffing and it attracted people to work here. When management took that away, some people quit – it was a perk and people were depending on it. It’s time for us to unite and stand together as one and that’s why we will picket,” said Lois Lovett, Certified Nurse Assistant at Elderwood at Williamsville. 

 “Elderwood has bargained in bad faith by implementing sub-par wages and benefits without a mutual agreement with workers and refusing to come to the table to engage in contract talks,” said Grace Bogdanove, 1199SEIU Vice-President for WNY Nursing Homes. “Until just this week, the McGuire group was also refusing to bargain, further delaying much-needed wage and benefit increases that would provide for the recruitment and retention necessary to adequately staff these 4 homes,” said Bogdanove. “Just a couple years after the pandemic, these for-profit owners seem to have forgotten the sacrifice made by healthcare workers, and the continued sacrifices caregivers make on behalf of the residents they care for. These workers must also care for themselves and their families and need living wages and benefits to do so. As we proceed with contract negotiations at 27 facilities, we plan to engage in informational picketing at various locations to inform our communities about the critical issues that caregivers are fighting for," said Bogdanove.  

Informational pickets will be held at the following sites on Wednesday, April 9:

• Autumn View Manor, 4650 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg, NY 14075
• Garden Gate Manor, 2365 Union Road, Cheektowaga, NY 14227
• Seneca Manor, 2987 Seneca St, West Seneca, NY 14224
• North Gate Manor, 7624 Nash Road, North Tonawanda, NY 14120

In addition, 1199SEIU has issued 10-day notices to hold informational pickets at the following facilities in Buffalo and the southern tier:

Monday, April 14 

1.   Buffalo Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, 1014 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209

2.   Ellicott Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, 200 Seventh St, Buffalo, NY 14201

3.   The Grand at Delaware Park, 1205 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209

Wednesday, April 16

1.   Houghton Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, 9876 Luckey Dr, Houghton NY 14744

2.   Dunkirk Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, 447 Lake Shore Dr W Dunkirk, NY 14048

3.   Gowanda Nursing Home, 100 Miller St, Gowanda, NY 14070

Union members work as Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nurse Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Speech/Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Dieticians, Social Workers, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Licensed Physical Therapy Assistants, Environmental Service Workers, Maintenance Workers, Dietary and Food Service Workers, Housekeeping & Laundry Workers, Clerical Workers, and Unit Clerks.

Nearly 4,000 union nursing home members participating in the coordinated campaign provide care at:

• Absolut Care of Allegany – Professional & Technical
• Absolut Care of Aurora Park - Professional & Technical
• Autumn View Manor
• Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing
• Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Williamsville
• Dunkirk Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
• Eden Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
• Elderwood at Lockport
• Elderwood at Williamsville
• Ellicott Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing
• Fiddlers Green Manor
• Garden Gate Manor
• Gowanda Nursing Home
• Houghton Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
• Humboldt House Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
• Newfane Rehabilitation & Health Center
• North Gate Manor
• Our Lady of Peace
• Safire Rehabilitation of Northtowns
• Salamanca Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
• Schoellkopf Health Center
• Schofield Residence
• Seneca Manor
• The Grand at Delaware Park
• Williamsville Suburban Care Center 

###

 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

____________________

^[1] https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AtsheFDfR/, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ACbJrwW5E/, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EKtFobVVP/
^[2] Why one of WNY's largest nursing homes is only 66% full
^[3] U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Care Compare, Nursing Homes Including Rehab Services, Staffing, Elderwood at Lockport and Elderwood at Williamsville, last visited on 4/8/2025 and available online at: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
^[4] New York State Department of Health, Health.Data.NY.Gov, Nursing Home Profile, NH_Operator_members, Last Updated on 3/13/2025, last visited on 4/8/2025 and available online at: https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Nursing-Home-Profile/dypu-nabu/about_data
^[5] Elderwood Staffing Solutions Elderwood Careers
^[6] Empire Center for Public Policy, Publications, Nursing Home Financial Reporting, Related Company ownership, last visited on 4/8/2025 and available online at: https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/nursing-home-database-salaries/
^[7] NYS DOH, 2018-2022 RHCF Cost Reports, search on 15 Elderwood Facilities, at Exhibit B, Statement of Changes in Fund Balances, Equity or Net Assets, at Unrestricted Withdrawals of Equity (column 1806, line 16).
^[8] New York State, Department of Health, 2022 RHCF Cost Reports
^[9] Nursing homes will soon have to report deals with 'non-arms length' companies
^[10] New York State, Department of Health, 2022 RHCF Cost Reports
^[11] NYS DOH, Public Health and Health Planning Council, Agenda, VS Servicer at Beacon LLC d/b/a
Taconic Rehabilitation and Nursing at Beacon, Project # 222053, at Program Analysis, March 27th, 2025, last visited on March 26, 2025 and available online at: https://health.ny.gov/facilities/public_health_and_health_planning_council/meetings/2025-03-27/docs/agenda.pdf
^[12] New CEO named to oversee McGuire Group, Absolut Care, VestraCare networks - Buffalo Business First