Workers in five Detroit-area nursing homes took part in a one-day strike against Ciena Healthcare, one of the largest nursing home operators in Michigan.
Some 300 employees, including certified nursing assistants, housekeeping, and maintenance workers walked off the job, according to SEIU Healthcare Michigan.
Workers have been without contracts for months, said Larry Alcoff, the union’s chief negotiator.
“For most of these workers, they've been working without pay increases for almost two years,” he said. “And the negotiations have been going on for a long time, and the workers have essentially said enough is enough. There's a 50% turnover on average in these facilities, which affects their jobs, but also affects the care of the residents they care for.”
The union is pushing for an increased wage scale for certified nursing assistants, and increased starting rates for others, including those in cooking and housekeeping. “Other demands include improvements to shift differentials, annual raises for every worker, paid sick time, holidays, and health insurance,” the union said in a statement.
The facilities participating in the strike include:
- Boulevard Temple Care Center
2567 W Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48208
- Notting Hill of West Bloomfield
6535 Drake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322
- Qualicare Nursing Home
695 E Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48207
- The Regency at Chene
2295 E Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48207
- Regency at St. Clair Shores
22700 Greater Mack Ave, St Clair Shores, MI 48080
“First and foremost, our impacted facilities have made necessary preparations and are continuing to provide quality care to all residents during these strikes by SEIU Healthcare of Michigan,” said Ciena Healthcare CEO David Parker in a press release Tuesday.
The strikes are “unnecessary,” he said, because “none of the collective bargaining agreements are at an impasse,” and Ciena “has offered numerous contract enhancements including wage increases for each year of the contract and for years of seniority.”
“Ciena Healthcare leadership appreciates the work done by all employees who are members of the collective bargaining units represented by SEIU Healthcare of Michigan and provide quality care to our residents on a daily basis,” Parker said.
The union described Ciena’s statement as “disingenuous at best,” and said that “claims of early bargaining are simply a lie. … The contracts referenced are long expired, anywhere between 16 to 4 months ago. Moreover, Ciena has refused to agree to retroactive pay back to the contract expiration.”
“These are mostly low wage workers who live check to check and have to work an immense amount of overtime or two jobs, sometimes three jobs in order to pay bills,” said Alcoff. “Siena as the largest and one of the most profitable nursing home corporations in the state can afford to do better. They chose not to.”
