Decision-time looms for nursing home company McGuire Group, as many employees across the group’s Western New York locations have started picketing for better pay and benefits.
McGuire has entered negotiations, but employees say it might be too late to prevent a work stoppage, since the current contract expires at the end of April.
Renee Vernon has been a nurse with McGuire almost 30 years. There’s desire to do more for residents, but the benefits aren’t good enough to bring in more employees, she said.
“Your family, your grandparents, your parents, they're here, and they need proper care," she said. "And right now, we don't have the staff to do it, and getting better wages and benefits would get more people in here that would care and give time. We'd have extra time with these patients.”
The improved benefits employees want to see include better pay, but also improved healthcare and childcare options, Vernon said.
The need for more staff isn't limited to McGuire's nursing positions, said Donna Gregory, who has been a certified nursing assistant at the company's Garden Gate location for 11 years.
"We need staffing, from nursing to housekeeping, from housekeeping to laundry," she said. "We need help in our departments."
Nursing home employees say there is support throughout the 27 McGuire locations, and there are further picketing efforts planned for other locations in the coming weeks.
