WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Walkout underway at two nursing homes (Ansonia-WTNH) _ Workers at two Connecticut nursing homes are on strike today two homes in Bridgeport and Ansonia. Strikes were planned at three other nursing homes as well today, but they settled early this morning. News Channel 8's Leon Collins reports. A total of about 250 nursing home workers are now out on strike, including workers at the Mariner Health Care facility in Ansonia. Unfortunately a strike like this doesn't make life any easier for the people who have to live at these nursing homes. James Patton: "I'm just here temporarily for housing and get my prosthesis and start walking." 55-year-old James Patton says he hope to soon be out of the Grant Street Health and Rehab center in Bridgeport. Patton says he and other clients are already feeling the effects of the strike. Leon Collins: "What's it been like on the inside?" Patton: "It's been kinda rough, you know what I'm saying? It ain't been like normal, you know when the people come in and do the work. Ain't nobody cleaning floors, ain't nobody doing nothing really." About 160 nurses aides and service workers at the Grant Street Center walked off the job at 6 this morning. Negotiations between them and management completely stalled last week. It appears that Diversified Health Services, the nursing home operator here, has gone on the defensive, setting up chicken wire around the property and on the first floor windows. Deborah Chernoff, Union 1199 Spokesperson: Just because this is a poor neighborhood and many of the patients are poor doesn't mean they deserve anything less. "Last negotiating session was last Wednesday at which point management walked out." Nursing home workers also picketed at the Mariner Health Care center in Ansonia. About 100 striking workers there say they are holding for higher wages and better staffing. Mary Jane Felix, Union Worker: "The employee turnover is almost 70-percent. In a place like this, that's got to tell you something." Louis Guida, Union Organizer: "We have workers who start working at as little as $6.50 an hour.who are paying as much as $90 a week for family health insurance which actually means that they don't get family health insurance because they can't afford it making $6.50 an hour." Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Walkout underway at two nursing homes
(Ansonia-WTNH) _ Workers at two Connecticut nursing homes are on strike today two homes in Bridgeport and Ansonia. Strikes were planned at three other nursing homes as well today, but they settled early this morning.
News Channel 8's Leon Collins reports.

A total of about 250 nursing home workers are now out on strike, including workers at the Mariner Health Care facility in Ansonia. Unfortunately a strike like this doesn't make life any easier for the people who have to live at these nursing homes.

James Patton: "I'm just here temporarily for housing and get my prosthesis and start walking."

55-year-old James Patton says he hope to soon be out of the Grant Street Health and Rehab center in Bridgeport. Patton says he and other clients are already feeling the effects of the strike.

Leon Collins: "What's it been like on the inside?"
Patton: "It's been kinda rough, you know what I'm saying? It ain't been like normal, you know when the people come in and do the work. Ain't nobody cleaning floors, ain't nobody doing nothing really."

About 160 nurses aides and service workers at the Grant Street Center walked off the job at 6 this morning. Negotiations between them and management completely stalled last week. It appears that Diversified Health Services, the nursing home operator here, has gone on the defensive, setting up chicken wire around the property and on the first floor windows.

Deborah Chernoff, Union 1199 Spokesperson: Just because this is a poor neighborhood and many of the patients are poor doesn't mean they deserve anything less.
"Last negotiating session was last Wednesday at which point management walked out."

Nursing home workers also picketed at the Mariner Health Care center in Ansonia. About 100 striking workers there say they are holding for higher wages and better staffing.

Mary Jane Felix, Union Worker: "The employee turnover is almost 70-percent. In a place like this, that's got to tell you something."

Louis Guida, Union Organizer: "We have workers who start working at as little as $6.50 an hour.who are paying as much as $90 a week for family health insurance which actually means that they don't get family health insurance because they can't afford it making $6.50 an hour."

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