“For me, resident care is first and foremost,” said Evan Stacy, a certified nursing assistant who was part of the organizing committee. The best way to improve care, he said, is to give workers a bigger voice in how their workplace runs.
Inconsistent staffing ratios and a nursing home policy that ends up punishing workers for taking off sick are just two instances that directly impact residents’ health, Stacy said.
The workers — LPNs, CNAs, and trained medication aides — also are looking for fairer treatment and better pay. Like many nursing home polices, there is no rhyme or reason to pay scales, Stacy reported. Some workers have gone years without a raise.
Managers enforce policies inconsistently, he said, with some workers getting called in for infractions that other workers get away with.
Similarly, rather than rewarding performance, management gives an “employee of the month” award by drawing names from a hat.
Volunteer member organizers Sara Chamberlin from Faribault DHS Local 607 and Kathryn Wegner from Chris Jensen Local 2512 played a key role in the campaign at Park River.
The next battle is to win a contract, Stacy noted. “I know it’s going to be challenging, but I think it’s going to be fun to try to create our ideal workplace, and to be able to have a say in running the floors.”
Reprinted from The Minneapolis Labor Review.
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“For me, resident care is first and foremost,” said Evan Stacy, a certified nursing assistant who was part of the organizing committee. The best way to improve care, he said, is to give workers a bigger voice in how their workplace runs.
Inconsistent staffing ratios and a nursing home policy that ends up punishing workers for taking off sick are just two instances that directly impact residents’ health, Stacy said.
The workers — LPNs, CNAs, and trained medication aides — also are looking for fairer treatment and better pay. Like many nursing home polices, there is no rhyme or reason to pay scales, Stacy reported. Some workers have gone years without a raise.
Managers enforce policies inconsistently, he said, with some workers getting called in for infractions that other workers get away with.
Similarly, rather than rewarding performance, management gives an “employee of the month” award by drawing names from a hat.
Volunteer member organizers Sara Chamberlin from Faribault DHS Local 607 and Kathryn Wegner from Chris Jensen Local 2512 played a key role in the campaign at Park River.
The next battle is to win a contract, Stacy noted. “I know it’s going to be challenging, but I think it’s going to be fun to try to create our ideal workplace, and to be able to have a say in running the floors.”
Reprinted from The Minneapolis Labor Review.