Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Rochester, New York, Nursing Home Staff Unanimously Ratify New Contract

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have unanimously voted to ratify a new three-year contract with Rochester Regional Health’s Unity Living Center in Rochester, New York.

Staff at the skilled nursing facility work as licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, activity aides, unit secretaries and physical therapy aides. Their previous agreement expired earlier this year. Throughout seven months of bargaining, the issues of staffing, recruitment and retention, and compensation remained core sticking points. The new contract was reached one month after a powerful informational picket. Highlights of the deal include an 8.75% wage increase over the lifetime of the agreement, an additional floating holiday, an attendance bonus and other provisions that will help support overworked and underpaid staff.

“I feel happy about our new union contract. It was a fight that we won and my next goal is to make sure everyone belongs to the union and benefits from the contract,” LPN Kiara Grey-Bradley said in a press release.