Terror at Laurelhurst Village?
Facility thwarts efforts to improve patient and worker conditions
How do you go from “Employee of the Month” to summary dismissal almost overnight?
One way to start, Elizabeth Lehr discovered to her dismay last month, is by signing a union card.
Lehr, a valued 23-year-old receptionist, was confronted by managers who terrorized her in a virtual star chamber procedure and then fired her on bogus charges April 2.
Lehr’s true crime in the eyes of management was joining a movement to improve care and working conditions there by organizing a union at the facility, which has been cited for numerous instances of patient neglect and shoddy care by federal inspectors who gave it a paltry Medicare rating of one star out of five.
She described her experience to about 50 co-workers and supporters April 30 at a rally to support her attended by SEIU 503 Executive Director Leslie Frane, who called Laurelhurst Village’s action a perfect example of why Congress should pass the Employee Free Choice Act. A letter of support from State Sen. Diane Rosenbaum reiterates this point.
SEIU Local 503 organizer Guillermo Galarreta says Lehr’s firing is part of an ongoing campaign of employee harassment and intimidation that is among the most blatant he has ever encountered in Oregon. SEIU has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board seeking an injunction restoring Lehr to her job, and ordering the home to cease and desist.
“We started the organizing campaign on February 27 and reached majority support a few weeks later with 77 workers signing cards and 21 of them joining the organizing committee,” Galaretta said. “On March 27, a certified nursing assistant, Tim Desir, was suspended for engaging in legal organizing activity. Six days later, after coming to Tim’s defense, Elizabeth Lehr was fired. Fearing for their jobs in a troubled economy, other employees started to back away from their aspirations to improve working conditions and patient care at one of Oregon’s most profit-driven and least reputable nursing facilities. After Elizabeth was fired only three more workers signed union authorization cards, 15 of the original card signers changed their minds about the union, and eight dropped off the organizing committee."
Laurelhurst is owned by Farmington Centers, headquartered in Southwest Portland, which manages two nursing facilities, 13 assisted living facilities, seven memory-care facilities and eight independent residential living facilities in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. Its latest Medicare inspection rating was one star out of a possible five, well below average.
Farmington Centers nursing homes reported a profit of $2.9 million from 2006 to 2008.
Inspectors identified rampant violations including six incidents of resident harm, including one incident of abuse, at Laurelhurst from 2006 to 2008 and documented 40 violations of state and federal rules and regulations at Farmington Centers nursing homes from 2007 to 2008 including fecal impaction, pressure sores, significant weight loss, inadequate care after falls, medication errors, failure to follow physician orders.
Amid the poisoned atmosphere only a handful of Elizabeth Lehr's co-workers dared show up at the rally. But they had a second reason to stay away. Apprised of the gathering, Laurelhurst Village CEO Hannah Austin decided to try another tack to suppress turnout. At the same hour as the rally she staged an appreciation luncheon for all employees, who were made aware that their lack of attendance would be viewed as a sign of ingratitude for such munificence.
Farmington Centers And The Long Term Care Crisis In Portland: A Public Forum (May 19)
Join caregivers, family members and advocates in a public forum that will discuss how Farmington Centers, which operates nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Oregon, contributes to the nursing home crisis in the area. This forum will address Farmington Centers’ troubling record regarding resident care and workers’ rights.
Where: Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, 2828 SE Stephens, Portland, OR
When: Tuesday May 19th at 5:30pm
Read State Senator Diane Rosenbaum's testimony
Read Elizabeth Lehr's testimony
Oregonian coverage of Elizabeth Lehr's story