Workers Vote To Strike At 3 Rhode Island Nursing Homes

PAWTUCKET, RI — Employees at three Rhode Island nursing homes have voted to strike at the end of the month unless a settlement is reached regarding staffing requirements.

The announcement comes after months of contract negotiations between employees and Genesis Pawtucket Nursing Center, Hopkins Manor in North Providence and Genesis Greenville. The strike deadline is set for 6 a.m. on July 29.

Adanjesus Marin, the union's lead organizer, said "thank you signs just aren't going to cut it anymore," and that at least 4.1 hours of direct care per patient each day is a necessity.

"While we continue to support safe staffing for all Rhode Island nursing home residents, our members have decided that the residents in their nursing homes can’t risk the continued status quo any longer, and so they must be willing to strike for the good of the residents," Marin said. "It took a lot of courage for our members to continue to go to work during this pandemic. Now they are displaying the courage to not go to work, to interrupt lethal business as usual, and they are doing it for their residents."

According to the union, Rhode Island ranks 41 in the country when it comes to the average number of care residents receive in long-term care facilities, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites higher infection rates in facilities with lower staffing levels.

"We have been working day in and day out throughout the COVID 19 crisis," said Stefania Silvestri, an RN working at Genesis Greenville center. "But instead of prioritizing resident safety more than ever now, our employer took almost a year to begin contract negotiations with its employees. This feels like a slap in the face to all caregivers including myself, who have put our own safety and the safety of our families on the line. We are now prepared to do whatever it takes for management to finally listen to us — they need to give caregivers what we deserve!"

Earlier this week, the Rhode Island Department of Health endorsed the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act, voicing support for the bill that would require 4.1 hours of direct resident care per day. Gov. Gina Raimondo has also supported the legislation, saying it is time for Rhode Island to reassess its long-term care systems.

Employees at the three nursing homes plan to hold a socially distanced informational picket at six facilities on Thursday.

Dennis Hazard, a Certified Nursing Assistant from Genesis Pawtucket Nursing Center, said nursing homes need to step up for workers.

"I’ve been a CNA for 40 years — staffing was bad before the pandemic and even worse during it. Caregivers are no longer willing to put their own safety at risk for the same hourly wage they could make at Stop and Shop," Hazard said. "Even though many of my co-coworkers are older and more at risk from COVID, we have shown up for our residents. Its time management showed up for our residents and workers, too."

The SEIU 1199NE union represents 850 healthcare workers in Rhode Island nursing homes.

"Over my 21 years as a CNA, the acuity of our residents has increased and our workloads have tripled but our staffing levels have stayed almost the same," said Dawn Auclair, a CNA at Hopkins Manor. "It’s not fair to our residents — they built this country and deserve to have quality care at the end of their lives. But instead of working with frontline caregivers to improve care, management has refused to even provide bargaining dates. Our residents simply can’t wait another day for management to take health and safety seriously, which is why we are prepared to strike."