(FOX 2) – Hundreds of healthcare workers took them on the streets sought a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, picketing for better wages and working conditions.
At one of five nursing homes targeted for the strike, dozens of certified nursing assistants have crowded the sidewalks and called on Ciena Healthcare to meet their demands.
Big View:
More than 300 CNAs around Metro Detroit attacked five different nursing home locations on Tuesday.
The 24-hour strike was intended to encourage Ciena Healthcare to agree to contract requests from workers.
Worker demands include better wages, working conditions, improved residents-to-nurse ratios, and paid sick hours.
“They don't want to pay us, we work hard here. I've been working at the Siena Company for 20 years. 20 years – I'm making $17 per hour homekeeper,” Brenda Sears said.
Dive deeper:
Sears was among those in front of the regent of the chain, a nursing home that values around 150 residents.
And she wasn't the only one who was fired for the strike.
“They don't want to negotiate retro pay. They don't want to negotiate better wages and better working conditions,” said Mable Woodward.
Woodward did not tick words when asked about the benefits of healthcare offered. She and others, who have been a nurse assistant for over 35 years, have been fighting for a new contract since April 2024.
Ask Porch Jackson, another impressive nurse assistant, who says that working conditions raise concerns for nursing home residents.
“They're at risk, of course,” Jackson said. “They need us.”
The other side:
Ciena Healthcare says individual nursing homes have separate contracts and intend to negotiate in good faith with each.
In a statement, the company said:
“Simply put, the planned strikes have distracted attention from negotiations to resolve the small number of open issues remaining in each contract, and we look forward to working with the union to obtain a favorable contract for our employees.”
Meanwhile, subsidized workers were called to help care for residents during the strike.
Source: An interview with an impressive worker and a statement from Ciena Healthcare was used to report this story.
MichiganHealth
