New Jersey Nursing Home Workers Avert Planned Strike At 3 Facilities: UPDATED

Editor's Note: Union representatives issued a statement at 2 a.m. on Friday stating that members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have reached a settlement with Broadway Healthcare Management at the following three nursing homes. The tentative agreement provides immediate and yearly wage increases for all employees and protects workers’ pension and health insurance benefits, union spokespeople stated. This article was updated on Friday morning.

A strike set for Friday at three New Jersey nursing homes has been averted, union leaders say.

According to labor union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, nursing home caregivers at three facilities operated by Michael Konig, the owner of Broadway Healthcare Management, planned to hold a 24-hour strike at three of his nursing homes to protest alleged unfair labor practices and short-staffed working conditions.

The 270 nursing home caregivers that planned to strike are members of 1199SEIU and work as certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, dietary aides, housekeepers and activity aides.

Strikes were planned for 5 a.m. on Friday, June 23 at the following locations:

• Teaneck: Teaneck Nursing Center, 1104 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck, NJ
• Perth Amboy: Amboy Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 1 Lindbergh Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ
• Union City: ManhattanView Nursing Home, 3200 Hudson Avenue, Union City, NJ

“We do not want to strike, but we cannot allow this employer to undermine job standards in nursing homes,” Milly Silva, 1199SEIU executive vice president, previously stated.

WHY THEY’RE STRIKING

Patch has reached out to Broadway Healthcare Management for comment about the planned strike and will update this article with any reply we receive.

According to 1199SEIU representatives, workers planned to strike to “protest unfair labor practices and demand that their employer invest in better jobs and staffing levels for caregivers.”

The union provided the following statement about their allegations:

“Each of the three nursing homes - Amboy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Perth Amboy, ManhattanView Nursing Home in Union City, and Teaneck Nursing Center in Teaneck - have staffing levels for certified nursing assistants (CNA) that fall below state averages on a majority of shifts, according to data from the NJ Department of Health. CNAs are responsible for providing direct care at the bedside, including feeding, dressing, and bathing residents. The overnight shifts are especially understaffed, with levels within the bottom fifth of all nursing homes in the state. Caregivers say lack of sufficient staff makes it difficult to provide the type of quality, one-on-one care that residents need.”

Union members previously organized a rally and picket effort in April at the same three facilities.

• See related article: New Jersey Healthcare Workers Will Picket 3 Nursing Homes

Cerese Abraham, a certified nursing assistant at Teaneck, said that “short staffing” is becoming the norm at the three facilities.

“Residents want to get up at a certain time of day, but sometimes they’re stuck in bed because we’re so short-staffed and there’s no one available to assist them,” Abraham said. “A lot of us [workers] have high blood pressure from all the stress that brings. One CNA even passed out during a recent heat wave because she was so overworked.”

The union’s effort recently garnered support from Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who said that Konig must “bargain in good faith with his employees” and reach a settlement that values the caregivers for their essential work.

“Nursing facilities which receive significant funding from public tax dollars have an obligation to use those resources with the utmost responsibility,” Weinberg stated in a news release. “The women and men who do back-breaking work caring for our elderly loved ones deserve fair treatment and respect.”

Yesenia Lafleche, an LPN at the ManhattanView facility, said that in 22 years of nursing, she’s never had a more difficult time on the job.

“We always go out of our way for our residents, buying out of our own pocket things like disposable diapers, shampoo and even clothes,” Lafleche said. “It’s time that management shows us the respect we deserve for the work we do.”

“I work hard to keep the residents’ rooms clean, but after 29 years I still only make $12.65 an hour and I haven’t received a raise in years,” said Shirley Cumberbatch, a housekeeper at Amboy Care.

Union representatives previously stated:

“Earlier this year, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued complaints against all three facilities for failing to bargain in good faith with 1199SEIU. After a thorough investigation, the NLRB also charged the nursing homes with failing to make the required contributions into the employees’ education fund. And at Amboy Nursing and Rehab, the NLRB has issued a complaint for the company’s failure to make the necessary contributions into the employees’ health benefit fund, which resulted in some workers being left without health insurance. A similar investigation regarding employee health benefits is currently underway at ManhattanView. All of the charges are being consolidated into a single case by the NLRB, for a trial slated to take place later this summer.”

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Photos: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, previous rally in Teaneck