(WILLIAMSVILLE, NEW YORK) – Union-represented Caregivers employed at the Comprehensive Nursing & Rehabilitation at Williamsville Nursing Home in Suburban Buffalo participated in a one-day Strike on Wednesday (May 17th) as 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East Representatives requested a Federal Mediator join their contract talks.

Thirty-four Workers, - Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nurse Assistants, Housekeeping Aides, Laundry Aides, Dietary Cooks and Dietary Aides employed at the 142-bed facility, have been working without a contract since December 31st, 2022 when their agreement expired.

The Caregivers are asking Comprehensive at Williamsville to provide better working conditions and offer competitive wages and a pension to help retain and recruit more Workers. 

Chronic short staffing and the employer’s offer of minimum wage rates are key issues in contract talks, 1199 SEIU Officials said.  Approximately 45% of the Workers at the facility are earning less than $15 per hour, they said. 

Caregivers at the bargaining table are also fighting to keep language in the contract that protects their Union and hard-earned benefits, 1199 SEIU said. 

During contract negotiations last week, management proposed eliminating the successorship clause - which is common language in contracts and protects Workers’ wages and benefits from being weakened or eliminated should a facility change ownership, they said.

Comprehensive at Williamsville is a one-star facility that has seen high Staff turnover rates - notably higher than the national average according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“Short staffing affects the quality of care,” Licensed Practical Nurse Ivan Tidwell said. “We don’t have enough Staff to cover the shifts and the residents might suffer because their care is delayed.  We need more In-House Workers to help to take care of our residents and to do that we need a fair contract.”

The Nursing Home Workers are seeking community support and have launched a public campaign to draw attention to their working conditions and lack of fair contract.

The Unionized Caregivers are asking the community, resident families and elected officials to contact the employer asking them to negotiate a fair contract with better working conditions and competitive wages.

Meanwhile, Comprehensive Nursing & Rehabilitation at Williamsville owners have ties to Villages of Orleans and are named in a New York State Attorney General’s lawsuit against the Villages at Orleans. 

The Attorney General’s lawsuit against Villages of Orleans owners charge years of financial fraud which resulted in resident neglect and harm.

Part of the lawsuit alleges the owners misused more than $18 million in Medicaid funding to increase personal profits through related party transactions.

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: Williamsville Nursing Home Workers Unanimously Vote To Authorize One-Day Strike As Union Requests Federal Mediator Join Talks :: 1199SEIU

Screengrab Courtesy Of 1199 SEIU Upstate’s Facebook Page.