The one-day strike is set to demand better wages, safer staffing, and better patient care.
Workers at a 159-bed Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, nursing home will go on a one-day strike July 11, demanding better pay, safer staffing levels, and better care for patients.
SKLD Bloomfield Hills employees voted unanimously to strike, according to a press release issued by SEIU Healthcare Michigan.
“While the owners of nursing homes like SKLD look out for their profits, the workers who go above and beyond to provide quality care struggle to afford our groceries and rent. That’s why the nursing home industry is a revolving door—because employers don’t respect our voices or pay us enough to survive,” said Aulana Harper, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at the nursing home.
“Now, we are standing together to win a voice on the job. And our ability to use our strength in numbers to negotiate for better pay, safer staffing, and respect, and to solve our issues together so we can provide the quality care our residents deserve and take care of our families is only possible through a union," Harper said.
SKLD Bloomfield Hills is not without embroilments. On the Medicare.gov website, the for-profit nursing home, on a scale of one to five stars, ranks just a “one” for an overall rating. The overall rating is based on a nursing home's performance in three areas: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures, according to Medicare.gov.
Additionally, SKLD Bloomfield Hills has been assessed $335,000 in fines for “deficiencies,” according to ProPublica.
Among those deficiencies are:
- Neglect of a patient.
- Two instances of failing to ensure residents were treated in a dignified manner. One was when staff referred to a resident as a “feeder” and complained about their job in front of residents. The second was when a sign that discussed positioning needs was observed propped on the front/lap area of a severely cognitively impaired resident in a geri-chair.
- Failing to ensure personal privacy for two residents who were unknowingly video recorded by an employee and posted on social media.
- Failure to maintain an effective infection control program and follow infection control practices according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and facility policy for COVID-19.
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SKLD Bloomfield Hills employees are set for a one-day strike on July 11.
Employees are demanding better pay, better staffing, and better resident care.
SKLD Bloomfield Hills rates just 1 out of 5 on the Medicare.gov website.