According to The Times-Tribune, local nursing home workers at the Gardens at East Mountain in Lackawanna County went on strike due to low staffing levels affecting the quality of care given to residents. Employees at this facility report that residents are not being changed or attended to in a swift manner. The Times-Tribune spoke with Betty Sartini, a nurse at the Gardens at East Mountain, who was deeply concerned over being stationed on a shift with only two nursing assistants. These staffing levels are extremely low. It is absurd to think that three employees could properly attend to the needs of the approximately forty residents living at this facility. Employees from this facility were not the only ones to strike. Rather, they were only one of twelve nursing facilities across Pennsylvania whose employees took to the picket lines along with employees from the Gardens at Wyoming Valley in Luzerne County.
Employees are calling on two of Pennsylvania’s major nursing home corporations, Priority Healthcare and Comprehensive Healthcare, to fix this issue by providing nursing home employees with adequate wages. Matthew Yarnell, the President of SEIU Healthcare, mentioned that SEIU Healthcare’s mission of achieving an appropriate contract and salary for nursing home employees has been long-standing. However, he says that when compared to other nursing home corporations, Priority Healthcare and Comprehensive healthcare are not collaborating as efficiently with SEIU Healthcare to establish appropriate wages.
The Gardens at East Mountain publicly delivered a statement that said that the facility does not support the decision of their employees to strike with the SEIU union. Additionally, the Gardens specifically labeled their employee’s actions as “irresponsible in these challenging times.” Furthermore, the Gardens mentioned that they did exhaust their efforts to agree to a contract for employees with SEIU Healthcare.
Contact an Experienced Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney
It is of utmost importance that residents are given the care they deserve at their nursing home facility. Please check in with your loved ones at their nursing home facility to see if they are satisfied with their care. If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse and/or neglect, please contact our seasoned attorneys at Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, L.L.P. Our team will fight for you! Remember: Injury? Call DLP! (570) C-A-L-L-D-L-P.
