Horns blared as cars drove past a group of nursing home workers outside the Dunkirk Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Wednesday afternoon on Lake Shore Drive, as workers and union representatives picketed for better working conditions and increased compensation. A small group of workers and union representatives peacefully demonstrating in front of the Dunkirk facility grew in numbers once more workers finished their shifts later that afternoon. More than 200 nursing home workers at four facilities across Western New York are fighting for better compensation in their next contract, after their most recent three-year contract expired on Dec. 31. Caregivers at the Rehabilitation and Nursing Center locations in Dunkirk, Eden, Houghton, and Salamanca have been bargaining for a new contract for several months without much progress on their demands. Union nursing home workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
