New York firm Zenith under fire for treatment of local caregivers.
Workers call picket “last warning” before strike.
LEXINGTON, MA – An obscure New York ownership group continues to draw fire for their slash and burn takeover of a local nursing home facility where more than 100 seniors and ninety workers have been reeling from the brutal cuts inflicted on the facility by Zenith Healthcare Group.
Caregivers have beenspeaking out against the cuts, including during a statewide “Low Wage Worker Day of Action” last Thursday, and will conduct an emergency picket action today in a final effort to avoid a strike. Caregivers say they do not want to strike, but they warn that the cuts implemented by Zenith pose a threat not just to workers but also the elderly residents of the nursing home.
WHO: Caregivers from Zenith-Lexington Nursing Home who are outraged by cuts implemented by Zenith Healthcare Group.
WHAT: Emergency informational picket and protest outside the nursing home in hopes to avoid a strike
WHEN: Monday, June 16, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: 840 Emerson Gardens Road, Lexington, MA, 02420
WHY: Workers voted 76-0 to authorize a strike in May, but had to wait until a state mandated waiting period expired before they could strike at the home. Now, that window has closed.
Despite repeated attempts at dialogue with the company, Zenith executives have continued to snub workers, community groups, and elected leaders – all of whom have called for a restoral of wages and benefits for caregivers in the wake of the 40%-60% pay cuts implemented by the New York firm. Beyond the wage cuts that are driving caregivers deeper into poverty, Zenith hiked the cost of family health insurance to $18,000 per year for low-wage employees while implementing time-off cuts meaning some staff will lose up to 17 days off per year.
“These actions would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous to seniors,” said Lermond Metelus, a Certified Nursing Assistant with 25 years of service at the facility. Lermond suffered a pay cut of approximately 50% overnight. “We already didn’t have enough staff at this facility, and now they’re going to drive out anyone remotely qualified to care for the more than 100 seniors who call it home.”
Meanwhile, caregivers have legislation pending at the State House that has been approved by the Senate and is currently conference committee which would create a public hearing process in the event of nursing home purchases and sales, including transactions involving out-of-state entities like Zenith.
Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 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.
Workers call picket “last warning” before strike.
LEXINGTON, MA – An obscure New York ownership group continues to draw fire for their slash and burn takeover of a local nursing home facility where more than 100 seniors and ninety workers have been reeling from the brutal cuts inflicted on the facility by Zenith Healthcare Group.
Caregivers have beenspeaking out against the cuts, including during a statewide “Low Wage Worker Day of Action” last Thursday, and will conduct an emergency picket action today in a final effort to avoid a strike. Caregivers say they do not want to strike, but they warn that the cuts implemented by Zenith pose a threat not just to workers but also the elderly residents of the nursing home.
WHO: Caregivers from Zenith-Lexington Nursing Home who are outraged by cuts implemented by Zenith Healthcare Group.
WHAT: Emergency informational picket and protest outside the nursing home in hopes to avoid a strike
WHEN: Monday, June 16, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: 840 Emerson Gardens Road, Lexington, MA, 02420
WHY: Workers voted 76-0 to authorize a strike in May, but had to wait until a state mandated waiting period expired before they could strike at the home. Now, that window has closed.
Despite repeated attempts at dialogue with the company, Zenith executives have continued to snub workers, community groups, and elected leaders – all of whom have called for a restoral of wages and benefits for caregivers in the wake of the 40%-60% pay cuts implemented by the New York firm. Beyond the wage cuts that are driving caregivers deeper into poverty, Zenith hiked the cost of family health insurance to $18,000 per year for low-wage employees while implementing time-off cuts meaning some staff will lose up to 17 days off per year.
“These actions would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous to seniors,” said Lermond Metelus, a Certified Nursing Assistant with 25 years of service at the facility. Lermond suffered a pay cut of approximately 50% overnight. “We already didn’t have enough staff at this facility, and now they’re going to drive out anyone remotely qualified to care for the more than 100 seniors who call it home.”
Meanwhile, caregivers have legislation pending at the State House that has been approved by the Senate and is currently conference committee which would create a public hearing process in the event of nursing home purchases and sales, including transactions involving out-of-state entities like Zenith.
Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 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.
