Workers who care for the community’s elderly and frail are deeply concerned that quality care is suffering under the nursing home’s corporate ownership

What: Informational Picket

When: TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 12, 2018

             2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 Where:  New Paltz Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation

                 1 Jansen Rd, New Paltz

Nursing home caregivers, members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, will hold an informational picket at New Paltz Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, to bring public awareness to management’s lack of attention to decent wages and affordable health insurance and its impact on safe staffing and quality resident care.*

Delinda Pettway, a Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.) said, “Staff turnover here is a big problem, but that’s not a surprise when workers can’t afford to take care of our own families. What choice is there other than to seek employment somewhere else, when the Centers pays below market wages and benefits?”

1199SEIU members at New Paltz, and 4 other facilities owned and operated by the Centers in Glens Falls, Schenectady, Troy, and Minoa have been in contract negotiations for a year. The workers’ proposals are not out of the ordinary; market wage increases, affordable health benefits, and the ability to retire with security are standard in health care contracts, in order to attract and retain qualified employees and protect continuity of resident care. 

On November 28, the workers in Glens Falls picketed that facility and next week, the workers at Schenectady Center will also hold an informational picket.

An informational picket is not a strike. Workers will picket on their own time—lunch, breaks, a day off, etc.  No shifts or services will be interrupted and there will be no work stoppage.

 

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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, New York State and New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida.  Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.