Less than a week remains until a planned strike for workers at many nursing homes around Western New York, but another employer has reached an agreement on contract talks with 1199SEIU.
St. Louis-based company Ascension has agreed to a tentative three-year plan with workers at Ascension Living Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston, with the strike being called off at that location six days before its planned start.
Increasing recruitment and retention rates are among the highest needs in negotiations with nursing homes, said Grace Bogdanove, area vice president for 1199SEIU Western New York Nursing Home Division.
“Employees coming into a nursing home have to work day-in and day-out, taking care of some of the most vulnerable members of our community," she said. "It's, I think, mentally exhausting. It's physically taxing, and when some of these employers are offering minimum wage or just above for healthcare workers, it's not a surprise that folks are choosing to leave the field.”
Ascension’s previous contract with area employees expired in December 2023.
The agreement was a must, and the wait for a new one already took too long, Certified Nurse Assistant Brendella Pryor said in a press release from 1199SEIU.
“It’s been way too long without any increases," she said. "We needed it, we deserved it, and we got it."
Ascension is grateful for the diligent work from both sides in negotiations but will not discuss agreement details until it is officially accepted by the union, a spokesperson from Our Lady of Peace in a press release.
There are plans to strike from May 20 to 27 at 14 other nursing homes where talks have not been settled.
