In less than 30 days, the caregivers at Odd Fellow & Rebekah Nursing Center in Lockport, NY, have held an informational picket outside of the nursing home, lobbied their elected officials, attended town halls and held a city-wide rally. The purpose? To get their message to the public--that they have done their fair share and they are asking management to do the same. Workers at Odd Fellows are looking to protect jobs that in turn will protect the safety of other employees and maintain quality care for patients.



On February 3, a dozen 1199 members from the facility met with State Senator George Maziarz (R-Lockport) to explain how the workers have done their fair share to help the nursing home financially. Maziarz has been a longtime healthcare advocate and friend of 1199 and has agreed to help protect the workers and residents at Odd Fellow Nursing Home. Workers also met with a representative for Congresswoman Kathy Hochul.



Family members of the residents have also joined the fight to help the workers secure a fair contract and stop the layoffs. More than two dozen family members sent a joint letter to the board of directors, which read in part,“We are also extremely concerned about some employees losing health insurance and adding stress to an already stressful job. The employees of the nursing center, until recently, have provided superior care to our family members. We believe that the workers should also be able to take care of themselves and their families if they ever need to be hospitalized, or get sick. They deserve it.”