UNDATED – AP is reporting… Hundreds of workers from 14 Pennsylvania nursing homes went on strike Friday after contract negotiations failed to produce a deal, frustrating state officials who recently approved an aid package meant to bolster staff recruitment and retention in the long-term care industry. About 700 unionized workers walked off the job in a dispute over pay, benefits and staffing levels. Photos and video on social media showed picket lines going up outside many of the homes, with workers carrying signs and wearing the purple T-shirts of their union, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. The of the nursing homes are in our portion of the Central Susquehanna Valley.
“Our goal has always been — and continues to be — to get a fair contract that invests in this entire workforce and will meaningfully address the staffing crisis,” said Matthew Yarnell, SEIU president.
He accused the nursing home operators of “failing to create the kind of wage scales we’ve been able to achieve with other providers.” Talks began Thursday morning and ended early Friday without an agreement, with no new negotiations scheduled. The strike impacted homes in a dozen counties throughout the state. Nursing homes have long struggled with high turnover, which the COVID-19 pandemic made worse, and some facilities were forced to close or downsize because of lagging Medicaid reimbursements, according to trade groups.
State lawmakers and the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf recently hiked Medicaid payments to nursing homes by nearly $300 million annually and sent another $130 million in federal coronavirus aid to help them hire and retain workers. The additional Medicaid funding represents a 17.5% increase, or about $35 more per resident per day. Elizabeth Rementer, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, called the strike “unfortunate and completely avoidable” in light of the new funding. She said the package had bipartisan support and was celebrated by both industry and the workforce.
Now, less than 60 days after the governor’s signature on this historic legislation, we’re hearing of select nursing home operators who are refusing to commit to the types of investments this funding was intended to support.” The Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents for-profit nursing homes, noted the increased Medicaid reimbursements do not kick in until January, and the American Rescue Plan money has not yet been distributed.
