LOCKPORT — Around 25 workers at Elderwood Lockport picketed Monday afternoon demanding a new contract and better working conditions.
The union representing them, United Healthcare Workers East or 1199SEIU, is in the middle of contract negotiations with 27 nursing homes across Erie, Niagara, Allegany, and Cattaraugus counties. It represents nearly 4,000 workers in the region, who want higher wages and better health insurance to recruit and retain employees.
“They’re taking care of the most vulnerable population here, not because they have to do it, but this is the profession they’re choosing,” said Shameka Burnette-Mathews an 1199SEIU organizer involved with negotiations.
Another informational picket happened Monday afternoon at Elderwood’s Williamsville location.
Contract negotiations with Elderwood have been ongoing since last summer, with management stopping bargaining talks. They recently implemented a last, best, and final contract without a member vote. While it included a 2% raise for nurses, it did not go to people working in laundry or housekeeping.
“That’s unfair, because we can’t do our job without housekeeping and to feed the people,” said nurse Marcie Livergood. “We do want a fair contract for them and for us.”
Other nurses complained about being short-staffed on the late shifts, and struggling to care for everyone with minimal numbers.
Lockport resident Cindy Bucolo, whose mother has lived at Elderwood for the past seven years, said the care she received has gotten worse because of limited staff.
“When she came here, she walked with a walker,” Bucolo said. “She’s now in a wheelchair and now almost bedridden because she’s got bed sores because they don’t have the staff to change her when she needs to be changed.”
The current contract between 1199SEIU and the nursing facilities expires on April 30, with union leadership previously telling the Gazette they want another three-year contract through April 30, 2028. Some of the other demands include pension increases, paid employee training, a childcare fund to cover childcare costs, and shift differential pay.
Management for the McGuire Group, which operates Northgate Health Care Facility in North Tonawanda, has reportedly not even come to the negotiating table.
“We hope that employers will agree to come to the table and agree to negotiate and bargain in good faith,” said Burnette-Mathews, with workers striking if necessary.
Other Niagara County facilities represented include Northgate, Schoellkopf Health Center in Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston, and Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Center.
Nursing workers will next hold informational pickets on Wednesday at Autumn View Manor in Hamburg, Garden Gate Manor in Cheektowaga, Seneca Manor in West Seneca, and Northgate in North Tonawanda. Other pickets will happen next week at the Buffalo Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, the Ellicott Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and the Grand at Delaware Park.