FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: April Ezzell, 1199SEIU Communications, (716)449-1620

Workers’ say management’s pending sale excuse to not raise wages or properly staff the nursing home to provide quality care is no longer acceptable.

Getzville, NY – Dozens of nursing home workers at Weinberg Campus in Getzville held a “march on the boss” last week to notify their employer that they will picket the facility on Wednesday, December 15 to demand resolution to short staffing issues that have plagued the facility since 2017. Caregivers are working critically short-staffed and without a union contract while the sale of their nursing home to Elderwood remains pending since 2017[1]. Their 1-year contract extension expired October 31, 2021. The 200 Nursing Home Workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

Nursing home workers are preparing for a job action this holiday season to fight for better staffing levels, fair wages, and a pension increase. Workers have gone without a pension increase for the last three years. Staff at Weinberg say they will stand up to protect quality care for their residents including a demand for adequate staffing throughout the campus and are ready to do what it takes to win a fair contract.

“The public needs to know how critically short staffed we are,” says Toni Banks, a housekeeper at Weinberg Campus for 11 years. “Without a contract that includes better pay we won’t be able to hire the quality caregivers and staff that are desperately needed here. Our residents deserve to be cared for properly, not just during the holidays, but all year long,” says Banks.

The owners of Elderwood purchased the Getzville facility for $47 million dollars and told NYS Department of Health they planned to make cuts to bed-side caregivers such as Licensed Practical Nurses and aides, but would hire more workers.[2] The sale of Weinberg has not been finalized, leaving healthcare workers in limbo and without enough staff to provide the quality care residents deserve.

Negotiations between workers and management is scheduled to resume on Monday, December 13th. If no significant progress is made towards a fair contract, nursing home workers will hold an informational picket on Wednesday, December 15 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm outside the campus in Getzville.

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