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What happens to residents of Connecticut nursing homes if thousands of workers go on strike on Friday?

Hartford Courant - 5/12/2021

On Friday, more than 3,000 health care workers at 29 skilled nursing facilities across Connecticut will strike if they can’t reach an agreement on wages and staffing levels with nursing home owners. Negotiations to prevent a strike have been unsuccessful, though talks are continuing.

Who will care for nursing home residents if there is a strike?

All of the nursing homes are required to file contingency plans with the state Department of Public Health within 10 days of a strike explaining how they will care for residents, including the hiring of temporary workers to replace strikers and if they plan to move residents out of homes.

David Skoczulek, vice president of business development at iCare Health Network, which operates 11 of the homes where workers are threatening to strike, said his company has lined up replacement workers from three national staffing agencies.

“We’re ready,’' Skoczulek said. “We’re very much hoping for a resolution but we’re prepared should that not happen in time.”

The iCare chain will not be evacuating any residents, he said.

Will any residents have to be moved out of nursing homes?

It’s unclear. The contingency plans required under state law are not public. At some nursing homes, residents may have to be moved to other facilities if replacement workers can’t be brought in.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Public Health confirmed it did not receive adequate contingency plans from RegalCare, whose seven homes were targeted as part of the strike. The union agreed to delay its walk out until May 28 to give the company time to develop a plan to ensure its residents remain safe.

What role will the National Guard play?

On Monday Gov. Ned Lamont asked the National Guard to provide assistance to protect “the public health and safety in response to any potential work stoppage or strike of workers at long-term care facilities or other congregate settings.”

About 50 members of the National Guard will be on standby in case of an emergency and will work at the direction of the state Department of Public Health, Lamont advisor Jonathan Harris wrote in a letter to state lawmakers.

“They are not a replacement for nursing home staff. The Connecticut National Guard played a similar role over the past year when it came to nursing home inspections necessary due to the pandemic. All work being done is in direct support of DPH staff, and is meant to ensure that the appropriate standard of care is being provided inside these homes,’' Harris wrote.

What’s at stake for the workers and the operators of the skilled nursing facilities?

Nursing home employees, who have been without a contract since mid-March, are pressing for higher wages and more staff to care for residents. Wages for unionized certified nursing assistants, dietary aides and housekeepers average between $12 and $15 an hour, and leaders of SEIU District 1199 of New England say many workers are leaving the industry and finding less stressful employment at fast-food restaurants and ride-hailing companies.

Representatives of the nursing home industry say their facilities are struggling financially, with more empty beds and soaring costs during the pandemic.

Which nursing homes are affected?

The 26 nursing homes targeted for the first wave of strikes on Friday are scattered across the state. The nursing homes include 11 operated by Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation’s chains of largest skilled nursing facilities and 11 more by iCare Health Network.

The iCare facilities are: Touchpoints at Bloomfield, Touchpoints at Chesnut in East Windsor, Touchpoints at Farmington, Fresh River Healthcare in East Windsor, Chelsea Place Care Center in Hartford, Silver Springs Care Center in Meriden, Trinity Hill Care Center in Hartford, Westside Care Center in Manchester, Touchpoints at Manchester, 60 West in Rocky Hill and Parkville Care Center in Hartford.

The Genesis facilities are: Kimberly Hall North and South in Windsor, Fox Hill Center in Vernon, Harrington Court in Colchester, The Reservoir in West Hartford, Glendale Center in Naugatuck, Arden House in Hamden, Madison House in Madison, Meriden Center in Meriden, The Willows in Woodbridge and St. Joseph’s Center in Trumbull.

Also targeted for a strike are Autumn Lake Healthcare Centers in New Britain, Cromwell, Bucks Hill (Waterbury) and Norwalk.

The 13 nursing homes that received strike notifications for May 28 are: seven RegalCare facilities in Glastonbury, Torrington, Waterbury, New Haven, West Haven, Greenwich and Southport as well as St. Camilius Center in Stamford, Governor’s House in Simsbury, West Hartford Health and Rehabilitation Center, Advanced Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in New Haven and Cassena Care of Stamford and Norwalk, according to the union.

Are there more strikes planned?

In addition to the first group of workers who voted to strike on Friday, another 600 workers at six more nursing homes have given notice that they intend to strike on May 28. About 2,000 workers at private group homes around the state have also approved a strike.

Are all of the parties still negotiating to avoid a strike?

Yes, the union continues to meet with representatives from the industry.

The governor’s office is also playing a major role. On Monday, Lamont made an offer of $280 million to boost wages and stabilize struggling privately owned facilities in the state. The initiative would be partially covered by federal coronavirus relief funds.

The offer includes a temporary 10% increase in Medicaid funding, from July 1 through March 31, 2022, for nursing homes that meet certain benchmarks.

The administration also pledged to increase its funding to the industry by $47.3 million in fiscal 2022 and $102.2 million in fiscal 2023, with all of the funds earmarked for wage increases in each of the next two years. And it is proposing hazard pay and increased training for employees as well.

The union says the governor’s efforts fall “far short.”

Daniela Altimari can be reached at dnaltimari@courant.com.

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