(TONAWANDA, NEW YORK) - Caregivers represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East - who were hit hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic, have been working without employer promised bonuses since January 2023.  But just as Workers were set to picket the embattled Safire Care of the Northtowns in Tonawanda, their employer has again promised to begin paying more than $80,000 in earned bonuses in this week’s payroll - starting Thursday (October 26th).

Jennifer Sicignano, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) employed at the facility, said: “We are owed thousands of dollars in bonuses that we were promised and agreed upon.  It was past practice and it had been paid.  The employer stopped it abruptly without any rhyme or reason. We come in and do our job and we work extra to help with our families.  We come in and get our paycheck and it’s three-quarters less than what you expected.  When we try to bring it to the owners, they tell us we are greedy and ungrateful, but we worked for it and took care of our residents and promised the bonuses.”

According to the New York State Department of Health, Safire Care of the Northtowns is a 100-bed facility that is owned and operated by Judy Landa, Richard Platschek, Solomon Abramczyk, Robert Schuck and Moshe Steinberg.

There are as many as 70 Union-represented Nursing Home Workers employed at the Tonawanda Facility, including Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs), LPNs and Unit Clerks. 

The Union-represented Caregivers say they agreed to a variety of bonuses to help properly staff the Tonawanda Facility with Nurses and Aides to help care for residents. 

There are three bonuses that Workers say they should be receiving from the Downstate For-Profit Ownership Group but they have either not been paid in months or were paid intermittently, 1199 SEIU Representatives said.

However, on Tuesday (October 24th), the employer again promised to pay bonuses in this week’s payroll for its Workers. 

As a result, an informational picket that had been scheduled for today (Wednesday, October 25th) has now been called off. 

However, should Caregivers not receive their earned bonus money on Thursday, 1199 SEIU will go ahead with the picket, with a press conference to be held on Friday (October 27th) outside the facility that is located at 2799 Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda.

1199 SEIU had negotiated a COVID bonus, a pick-up shift bonus and a short-staffing bonus with the employer.

For Employees who work on a unit with active COVID-19 cases, the agreed bonus is $35 per shift.

To assist with filling open shifts, alleviate critical staffing and improve resident care, the pick-up shift bonus is $50-$75 per shift, Union Officials added.

Lastly, when the employer is unable to fill open shifts and Employees are working short as a result, the agreed upon staffing bonus is $100 per shift (increasing to $150 per shift when an Employee works alone on a unit), 1199 SEIU Representatives said.

Initially, the owners of Safire Rehabilitation implemented bonuses without a signed agreement.  

However, and recently without notice, the employer unilaterally ceased some of the bonuses, while maintaining others.

In an effort to enforce these agreements, 1199 SEIU filed grievances and requested arbitration.

However, the employer has continued to delay the process, refusing to accept offered dates for meetings and verbally offered settlements with little to no follow-through, the Union said.

In some cases, payments have been made to Workers, though incorrectly, further complicating efforts towards resolution, they added. 

More recently, after yet another meeting, a settlement was nearly reached to pay the monies owed and to continue the bonuses moving forward.  However, the employer again refused to sign the agreement and subsequently also ceased paying the COVID bonuses, SEIU 1199 said.

A few weeks later, management failed to pay a quarterly shift bonus that has been in place since the previous contract more than two years ago and has since promised and failed twice to pay it, Union Officials said.

With the recurrence of COVID in the facility, Employees say the COVID bonus has been owed to them since September. 

“Since September (19th), we had the very first case of COVID,” LPN Jennifer Sicignano said. “At that time, we are to get ($35) per day if you worked on the floor with a COVID patient. Everyone who works on the floor with a COVID patient should get that pay.  We’ve gone three paychecks without the COVID pay per day owed.”

On another front, Safire Care of the Northtowns has had problems in the past.  In 2022, the nursing home received a documented fine for short staffing.  And according to Center for Medicaid Services, Safire Rehabilitation of the Northtowns was out of compliance with staffing standards 45 out of 90 days in the fourth quarter of last year.   

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - the largest and fastest-growing Health Care Union in America whose mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all, represents more than 400,000 Nurses and Caregivers throughout the States of Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida and in Washington, D.C.