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The New England Health Care Workers Union sent out new strike notices to nearly two dozen Connecticut nursing homes recently, as approximately 2,500 employees have been working without a contract since 2015 and have only seen a 2 percent raise during that time.
The nurses in 20 nursing homes initially approved a strike that would have taken effect on May 1, but that deadline was moved back to June 3 as they demand a 4 percent increase in wages for all caregivers. The estimated cost would be approximately $40 million.
“Wages for nursing home workers have remained stagnant, with just a 2 percent increase, since 2015,” the union wrote in a statement announcing their plans earlier this year. According to reports, the average nurse makes between $13 and $15 an hour.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services is required to reassess nursing home costs every four years, but Lamont has proposed waiving it for the next two years as the state faces budgetary concerns. Thousands have been working without a contract for upwards of two years.
At a press conference this week, Careene Reid, a certified nurse at the Trinity Center Hill nursing home said that she has received one raise in the past four years, for 27 additional cents an hour.
“Since 2015, I have received one raise of 27 cents,” she said. “I spend more time working than I spend with my own family.” Reid went on to note that many Connecticut nursing homes are understaffed, stating that, “the only time we are fully staffed is when the state is in the building.”
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