2025 Nursing Home Contract Campaign
Updates
May Updates
May 12, 2025
Members at Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus facilities
Dear Union Family,
First off, happy nursing home workers week! I’m grateful to be in the trenches with you and all my union brothers and sisters to demand safer standards. As you know, we had our first bargaining session with Saber, Kadima, Focus, and WeCare last Wednesday and Thursday in person in Harrisburg. See below for a bargaining update from our first round of negotiations.
I think our first session set up bargaining to be positive, productive, and about progress for residents, us, and our nursing home. We are already heading back to the table this Wednesday, 14 and Thursday, May 15. Stay tuned for future updates.
In unity,
Elsie Frayer
Dietary Aide at Harmar Village
—-
Happy Nursing Home Workers Week!
Look out for special flowers being delivered to your home’s front desk, and for stickers to wear to remind people it’s nursing home workers week.
The future of nursing homes is at stake with potential Medicaid cuts, which Congress will vote on in 2 weeks. Call Rep. Bresnahan and Rep. Fitzpatrick, Republican congressmen who have the power and votes to stop any cuts, to wish them a Happy Nursing Home Workers Week and tell them to save Medicaid!
Rep. Bresnahan:
Washington DC Office: (202) 225-5546
Scotrun Office: (570) 534-6220
Forty Fort Office: (570) 763-6120
Hazelton Office: (570) 710-6830
Scranton Office: (570) 906-6850
Rep. Fitzpatrick:
Washington DC Office: (202) 225-4276
Langhorne Office: (215) 579-8102
All other members
Dear Union Family,
First off, happy nursing home workers week! I’m grateful to be in the trenches with you and all my union brothers and sisters to demand safer standards.
I know you may not have started bargaining yet, but I wanted to share with you how our first bargaining session for Saber, Kadima, Focus, and WeCare went this past Wednesday, May 7th and Thursday, May 8th at one table in Harrisburg. I felt very positive about this new approach to bargaining. Since Saber, Kadima, WeCare, and Focus agreed to be part of the alliance, we were able to bargain from an understanding that we are going to work toward an agreement that accomplishes what we both want – recruiting and retaining staff for better resident care, reducing dependency on agency staff, and more.
We are already heading back to the table this Wednesday, 14 and Thursday, May 15. Stay tuned for future updates!
In unity,
Elsie Frayer
Dietary Aide at Harmar Village
—-
Happy Nursing Home Workers Week!
Look out for special flowers being delivered to your home’s front desk, and for stickers to wear to remind people it’s nursing home workers week.
The future of nursing homes is at stake with potential Medicaid cuts, which Congress will vote on in 2 weeks. Call Rep. Bresnahan and Rep. Fitzpatrick, Republican congressmen who have the power and votes to stop any cuts, to wish them a Happy Nursing Home Workers Week and tell them to save Medicaid!
Rep. Bresnahan:
Washington DC Office: (202) 225-5546
Scotrun Office: (570) 534-6220
Forty Fort Office: (570) 763-6120
Hazelton Office: (570) 710-6830
Scranton Office: (570) 906-6850
Rep. Fitzpatrick:
Washington DC Office: (202) 225-4276
Langhorne Office: (215) 579-8102
April Updates
April 30, 2025
Members at Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus facilities
Dear Union Family,
We begin bargaining NEXT week on May 7 and 8 at one table in Harrisburg! Your and my facilities are included.
The nursing homes at one table are Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus facilities, who agreed to be part of an alliance of responsible operators with our union. This means that rather than demanding the same raises, healthcare, and benefits across multiple tables which split our power, we and these employers will enter negotiations with an agreed-upon common goal of improving resident care.
What we achieve in our new contract will set the standards that every single other employer will be forced to match to stay competitive in PA. Our Bargaining Committee will work really hard at the table to win our statewide contract priorities: $20/hour for all workers, a pathway to $25 for CNAs, affordable and quality health insurance, secure retirement, Training and Education Fund, childcare, and paid union leave.
But we also need to show our strength in numbers at our facilities, too. Show your unity for our priorities by wearing our May Day sticker tomorrow! Your Bargaining Committee should have your sticker:
In unity,
Jackie Pappa,
CNA at Dunmore
———
IN THE NEWS
Our union officially announced that we have formed a new partnership with the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) and operators like Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus to win accountable funding, improve quality care, and make these quality jobs. This will send a message to all employers who aren’t part of this partnership that they should work WITH us, not against us.
Providers, SEIU announce ‘historic’ partnership on nursing home workforce challenges
Pat, CNA from Millersburg, spoke with CBS 21
Tina, LPN from Clarion County, spoke at the press conference announcing the partnership!
All other members
Dear Union Family,
The nursing homes at one table are Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus facilities, who agreed to be part of an alliance of responsible operators with our union. My facility is one of them. This means that rather than demanding the same raises, healthcare, and benefits across multiple tables which split our power, we and these employers will enter negotiations with an agreed-upon common goal of improving resident care.
Even though your facility is not included in the one table next week, what we achieve in our new contract will set the standards that every single other employer, including yours, will be forced to match to stay competitive in PA.
Bargaining Committee members from Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus are going to work really hard to win the statewide contract priorities we ratified: $20/hour for all workers, a pathway to $25 for CNAs, affordable and quality health insurance, secure retirement, Training and Education Fund, childcare, and paid union leave.
I hope you will stand with us by wearing a May Day sticker tomorrow. We need to show our unity and strength in numbers across the state! Your Bargaining Committee should have your sticker:
In unity,
Jackie Pappa,
CNA at Dunmore
———
IN THE NEWS
Our union officially announced that we have formed a new partnership with the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) and operators like Saber, WeCare, Kadima, and Focus to win accountable funding, improve quality care, and make these quality jobs. This will send a message to all employers who aren’t part of this partnership that they should work WITH us, not against us.
Providers, SEIU announce ‘historic’ partnership on nursing home workforce challenges
Pat, CNA from Millersburg, spoke with CBS 21
Tina, LPN from Clarion County, spoke at the press conference announcing the partnership!
April 22, 2025
Dear Union Family,
I wanted to share important updates on negotiating our new union contracts. Two weeks ago, hundreds of members across all facilities unanimously voted to ratify the following statewide contract priorities:
Our Standard Priorities
WAGES: Pathway to: $20, $25, $35
HEALTH INSURANCE: SEIU PLAN: 90/10 & 80/20
RETIREMENT: Employer Contribution 401K: $1,000 year or $0.50/hour
TRAINING AND EDUCATION FUND
CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE
PAID UNION LEAVE: 5 days
While there will be specific demands at each of our facilities, these are the standard priorities that every bargaining committee will demand in negotiations and that all 7,000 of us will stand united for.
In just a couple of weeks, the first of 95 nursing homes with contract expirations or wage re-openers this year will begin bargaining. My home is one of them! We’re going to lead the way in raising and setting wages, health insurance, retirement, and more to force every employer to match high standards for ALL of us across departments everywhere.
I hope you will have our back, and I promise to have yours when you’re at the table, too. Stay tuned for your bargaining dates.
In unity,
Cheila Martinez
Housekeeper and CNA at Spruce Manor
————-
UNION MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
- Cinette, CNA in Philadelphia, talked about how staffing impacts residents:“They are not just patients, they become loved ones. I don’t have time to even properly give them the care they need. I have to prioritize who is more important and that should never be in the health care field.”
- Dorschima, CNA in Bucks County, was highlighted in this Bucks County Beacon story about the impact of potential Medicaid cuts to resident care.
- April, CNA in Cambria County, emphasized to the Pennsylvania Independent how much rural nursing homes like hers depend on Medicaid.
Union members visited Rep. Mark Gillen in Berks County, Rep. Joanna McClinton in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, and Rep. Alec Ryncavage’s staff in Luzerne County to talk about the challenges in nursing homes and call for no cuts to Medicaid!
April 2, 2025
Dear Union Family,
Just last month, we kicked off our collective contract campaign knowing we can win larger raises and better healthcare with the strength of 7,000 union members standing together. Through this campaign, we have the power in numbers to defend Medicaid and demand these public funds be spent on quality care and staffing.
Thousands of members at all 90+ nursing homes with contract expirations or wage reopeners this year filled out the 2025 Contract Survey. Everyone shared the top issues at their home: staff turnover, healthcare costs, morale, and more.
Now, it’s time to VOTE on the top priorities for our new union contracts. Attend a union meeting on Wednesday, April 9th to see the survey results and vote on your contract demands. These priorities are what our Bargaining Committee will use in upcoming negotiations, so make sure your voice is heard.
STATEWIDE UNION MEETING TO VOTE ON CONTRACT PRIORITIES
Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
Times: 8:00am, 1:00pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
On Zoom
————-
IN THE NEWS
Check out this article by President Matthew Yarnell about how we need more funds and more accountability–not sweeping cuts to Medicaid–to improve nursing homes.
“Simply put: we do not have the beds, workers, and training needed to care for Pennsylvanians in the immediate future. And proposed Medicaid cuts are putting nursing homes in danger now.
We need more funding, not less.
We need more accountability, reforms, and teamwork to make every nursing home a fully staffed, safe, and dignified one.
This system already relies on caregivers to buy supplies like toilet paper, shampoo, hand sanitizer, and favorite food items for residents out of their own pockets. Because the people in these homes are like family to them.”
From Luzerne County to Beaver and Erie, members are using our campaign to tell state legislators to protect funding to bedside care!
Rep. Kail in Beaver, Rep. Pashinski in Wilkes-Barre, and Rep. Bizzarro in Erie
Register for the April 9 Union Meeting
In unity,
Tyreika Tate
Cook / Dietary at Walnut Creek
March Updates
March 14, 2025
Dear Union Family,
Have you filled out your bargaining survey yet? Your input on the problems at your home and what we must improve this year in our new contracts is important.
Fill Out Your 2025 Contract Survey
Not enough people know that we’re doing our best for residents with less staffing, cheaper supplies, and more sales and closures. Our homes are already hanging by a thread, and now we’re facing possible cuts to Medicaid. When a reporter recently asked me how $880 billion in Medicaid cuts would impact rural nursing homes like mine, I told her that people don’t realize so many residents rely on Medicaid. Medicaid pays for nearly 70% of all nursing home care, not just for staffing but also equipment like nebulizers. We need more funding and more accountability, not cuts.
That’s why your voice is really needed. If you haven’t yet, fill out the bargaining survey and share how you see the lack of funding and accountability in your home.
Here’s an example of what people have said in their surveys so far. Over 55% of people said they would not recommend their nursing home as a place to work to friends and family:
“We have great people who do work and give it everything they’ve got but with that being said we all are overwhelmed with the workload and being under paid for what we all do.”
“I feel if there were better benefits and higher wages we’d have more reliable staff. Staff are mainly agency right now, and they make higher wages with bonuses on top. Why not pay your own staff higher wages? I feel that my home could be a great place to work with adequate staffing. With my home being mainly agency, they drop shifts at the last minute to go somewhere else offering more. It doesn’t make sense. Just pay your in-house staff more, and I believe the recruitment of staff would increase. I believe my facility has a lot of potential. I overhear agency saying that if wages were higher, they would get on board.”
“We have some really great staff with big hearts. It could be a great place to work if we could keep staff.”
“I would recommend my facility if we had more adequate staff. No one wants to hurt themselves working when we don’t have the appropriate staff.”
***
Add your voice and fill out your 2025 Contract Survey.
In unity and solidarity,
April Chirdon
CNA at Haida Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center
February Update
Dear Union Family,
This year, over 90 nursing homes have contracts expiring or wage re-openers. What this means is rather than one home going at it alone, we have the power of over 6,000 members united. Together, we win improvements that make our homes places where residents want to live and workers want to work.
Last week, 200 member leaders from these homes gathered in Harrisburg to officially launch our statewide contract campaign: PA Nursing Home Workers United to Win. First, we discussed the challenges which prevent us from providing the resident care we want. It’s the same everywhere: wages that are still too low, short-staffing, not enough enforcement of ratios, and cheap supplies. We learned that even though people are getting older, and our residents are getting younger and sicker, PA’s national care rating has fallen and 30 homes have closed since 2020. We’re also facing nursing home closures, sales, and bankruptcies, and Medicaid on the chopping block.
That’s why this past week, we committed to use the power of our collective contract negotiations to demand improvements for us, our residents, and Medicaid for all. We pledged to work with good operators and hold operators who refuse to work with us accountable.
Join the Pledge and Fill out the 2025 Contract Survey with your top issues and priorities.
Top: SEIU Local 2015 and 503 members told us about their alliances with employers to win more funding and raise the bottom floor for workers.
Bottom: We shared what our nursing homes would look like if we ran them. This group would have a fully-stocked supply room, floor to ceiling!
_____
IN THE NEWS
At the end of the two-day conference, we held a press conference and publicly announced that we, thousands of nursing home workers across PA, will do whatever it takes to elevate care. Our union siblings Corey and Cheila and union President Matthew Yarnell did an awesome job sharing our message.
Check it out:
Fill out the 2025 Contract Survey
We have a lot of work to do, but I’m fired up to do it with you and thousands of other workers.
In unity and solidarity,
Kim Jackson,
LPN at Spruce Manor