Lewiston nursing home workers, who held a one-day strike last month, have a new contract.
More than 150 workers at Our Lady of Peace ratified a 20-month contract agreement with owner Ascension Living on Friday. The deal, announced this week by workers’ union 1199 SEIU, includes “new higher starting wage rates and significant raises that credit years of experience for all bargaining unit members.” It also includes $1,000 bonuses for full-time workers and $500 bonuses for part-time workers.
“I’m pleased that every department was recognized, resulting in a better wage scale,” said maintenance technician Daniel Martinucci in a statement. “We are thankful for the support from our community and all those who stood by us during these past months.”
Workers had been without a contract since their 16-month contract expired on New Year’s Eve. They’d been seeking what 1199 SEIU considers the new wage standard for Western New York nursing homes: a $16.50 minimum wage for certified nursing assistants and a $24 minimum for licensed practical nurses.
The new contract didn’t come without plenty of friction. In February, workers held a picket outside Our Lady of Peace, located near the U.S.-Canada border, and then a one-day strike on March 9.
Ascension Living threatened to respond with a four-day lockout and allegedly disciplined probationary employees for striking, causing 1199 SEIU to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
Ascension Living is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, the largest Catholic health system in the country with a reported net income of $5.7 billion.
“We are pleased our represented associates have successfully ratified their new contract and are grateful to both bargaining teams for working diligently to reach this mutually beneficial agreement,” Ascension said in a statement.
Workers hope the wage increases will grow Our Lady of Peace. They say it hasn’t been able to attract and retain enough workers and therefore hasn’t been able to accept more residents. The facility is operating at less than half its bed capacity and three units have closed since November 2020.
The strike at Our Lady of Peace was something of a rarity for Western New York. It was the first local nursing home strike held by 1199 SEIU, which is the largest health care union in the country, since 2005.
But it did fit into a pattern of increased health care strikes both locally and nationally. A Cornell University study found there were 265 strikes last year involving roughly 140,000 workers, more than half of whom were in health care. There was a noticeable uptick in October and November, the report found, including last fall’s 34-day strike at Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo.
