WELLSVILLE - In July of 2018 workers from Highland Park Rehabilitation
and Nursing Center voted the SEIU 1199 Union into the facility under a vote
done by the LPN, CNA, housekeeping, maintenance and activity staff members.
Since that time a contract has not been reached by the union and corporate
office of Excelsior Care group. This resulted in a wage freeze for those
employees until December of 2019.
Collective bargaining had been stalled by corporate until a federal
mediator had to be called in to force negotiations into resuming. Negotiations
further stalled with the current pandemic and although they have resumed, union
workers are still without a contract 25 months later.
Highland Park union employees are only asking for what is a
fair and similar contact to our neighboring facility Wellsville Manor Care
Center. The benefits and pay scale between the two facilities is stark, with
the Manor, which holds the same union, having a considerable advantage.
What does this mean? Union workers have authorized a 2 day
strike, via fair vote, to occur should the next round of negotiations fail. The
Excelsior group has threatened to lock out employees and bus in workers from
Long Island to take their place. They have already done this once, bussing in
employees for four days and then sending them back.
Should the facility choose to permanently replace it's union
workers, it will have a devastating effect on not only the local economy but
also the residents who residing there. Imagine all the LPNs and CNAs and other
staff replaced with strangers from other facilities or from nursing agencies
that have little knowledge of resident history and personalized needs. None of the dedicated employees working at
Highland want this to happen. Please reach out to the administrator Blake
Apsokardu 585-593-3750 or call the Excelsior group at (718) 430-0003 if you
have a loved one effected by this and would like to voice your opinion either
way.
Hopefully the Excelsior group and the unionized workers can
reach an agreement before the strike dates, which will only be for 2 days.
Sincerely,
A unionized worker from Highland Park
