Strike Looms for Stamford Nursing Home Workers

A strike is looming at 27 nursing homes throughout the state as workers demand wage increases.

The Service Employees International Union District 1199 NE has issued notice for a strike that is set to begin on April 24 at 6 a.m.

A union spokeswoman said that more than half of the workers earn less than $15 per hour. Outside of LPNs and RNs, the average worker is 44 years old and has 10 years of experience.

Affected nursing homes are owned by chains Paradigm, iCare and Genesis.

Contracts with the nursing home companies expired last month.

More than 3,500 workers are represented by the union at the 27 affected homes. Replacement workers will be brought in should the strike start.

“It’s time for all of us to stand together and demand higher wages to support our families and our communities,” said Nicole Jeffries, a Certified Nursing Assistant from Hartford. “My passion is caring for others but at the end of a long day caring for others, I come home and don’t know if my lights are going to be turned off because I can’t pay my bill.”

Matthew Barrett, the executive vice president of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, said that Medicaid’s low reimbursement rates have made it increasingly difficult to run nursing homes.

The association encourages people to contact appropriation committee leaders and members to urge more funding for Medicaid.

“The math just doesn’t work,” Barrett said. “While Connecticut nursing homes want to meet the public’s reasonable expectation for high quality care, the current state policy of paying Medicaid reimbursement below costs makes this an ongoing challenge for Connecticut operators.”

Medicaid payments for skilled nursing facilities have been almost completely flat since 2007 despite increasing inflation. At the same time, costs are rising and care is becoming more complex, according to a release.

“It’s simply not possible to address the employee wage and benefit issues when there are no Medicaid resources,” Barrett said.

About 70 percent of nursing home costs are attributed to staffing.

Medicaid payments are $28 below the cost of provider care to recipients per day.

In the meantime, the nursing homes will secure replacement workers from staffing agencies.

“It’s really impossible to guarantee that staffing replacement workers on a large scale will go without any incidents for nursing home residents,” he said.

Gov. Dannel Malloy spokesman Devon Puglia said that the administration is encouraging both sides to stay at the bargaining table while the legislature and the administration work to finalize the budget, according to the Hartford Courant.

Workers at the following nursing homes voted to strike on April 24:

• Hamden: Arden house
• Simsbury: Governors House
• Colchester Harrington Court
• Windsor: Kimberly Hall South and Kimberly Hall North
• Madison: Madison House Care & Rehab Center
• Meriden: Meriden Center, Silver Springs Care Center
• Trumbull: St. Joseph’s Manor
• Glastonbury: Salmon Brook
• Stamford: St. Camillus
• Manchester: Touchpoints at Manchester, Westside Care Center
• Hartford: Chelsea Place, Trinity Hill
• East Windsor: Touchpoints at Chestnut, Fresh River Healthcare
• Farmington: Touchpoints at Farmington
• Bloomfield: Touchpoints at Bloomfield
• Danielson: Davis Place
• Norwich: Three Rivers
• New Haven: Paradigm Healthcare Center of New Haven
• Prospect: Paradigm Healthcare Center of Prospect
• Torrington: Paradigm Healthcare Center of Torrington
• Waterbury: Paradigm Healthcare Center of Waterbury
• West Haven: Paradigm Healthcare Center of West Haven
• South Windsor: Paradigm Healthcare Center of South Windsor

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