More than 3,500 nursing home workers will walk off the job on April 24 if their union, the SEIU, doesn't reach a deal with a group of three nursing home operators.
The union voted to strike earlier this week for higher wages in the range of $15 per hour. Many workers currently make $12 per hour. The union's contract expired last month.
The Connecticut Association of Health Care Workers represents Genesis Healthcare, iCare and Paradigm Healthcare, the companies that operate the 27 facilities that would be affected by a strike. The group opposes such a drastic move by workers.
Matthew Barrett, the group's vice president, said in a statement that difficult Medicaid funding issues create an unlikely environment for higher wages.
"The math just doesn’t work," Barrett said. "While Connecticut nursing homes want to meet the public's reasonable expectation for high quality care, the current state policy of paying Medicaid reimbursement below costs makes this an ongoing challenge for Connecticut operators."
Gov. Dannel Malloy has urged the union and the nursing homes to keep hammering out a deal.
Nicole Jefferson works at an East Windsor nursing home and said she's ready to leave her job to strike if it means higher wages later.
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"I see it as short term," Jefferson said during an interview. "Living long-term on $12 an hour will not do. To be able to struggle to go on strike short term, I know I’m doing it for good reason."
Jefferson commutes to East Windsor from Hartford. She said she thinks she's worth $17 per hour but concedes that $15 would lead to niceties in her life she currently doesn't enjoy.
"It would change my life because I would be able to buy my daughter a birthday present. I’ll be able to buy a cake for my daughter. I’ll be able to buy a decent uniform for my daughter," she said.
Both sides will continue to negotiate a new agreement until the April 24 deadline.
