Bargaining begins: United for a strong contract

For the first time in the history of the Nursing Home Alliance, all represented nursing home chains came to the table at the same time, to win a stronger contract together than we could on our own. Our union bargaining team has put together a comprehensive package of contract proposals that integrates the best Avamere contract articles into the contracts at Avalon, Dakavia, EmpRes and Prestige.

We also made proposals on wages, longevity bonuses, shift differentials, staffing, and other important issues.
Join us at our General Membership Meeting at 3pm on August 18 to learn how we can win a strong contract that ensures quality resident care and a better environment for workers. We’ll hear directly from our bargaining team and plan our next steps.

Highlights of our union bargaining proposals

Wages

• A single statewide wage scale, that recognizes that all Oregonians have a high cost of living.
• Meet the Avamere wage scale for ALL workers, not just direct caregivers
• Real wage steps with annual COLAs
• Establish a fair experience review process to appropriately place workers on the wage scale

Differentials and bonuses

• Raise shift differentials and extra shift bonuses to incentivize better staffing for hard to fill shifts
• Longevity bonuses to recognize seniority and company loyalty

Healthcare

• Join our Healthcare Trust so that long term care workers can finally get the healthcare they deserve

Staffing and safety

• Establish a Statewide table for each chain to problem-solve issues of unsafe staffing
• Commit to midterm bargaining so that workers can immediately bargain over emergencies and issues that impact workers like Covid

Job protections

• Better grievance language to allow stewards to hold the employer accountable

---

“When Prestige raised starting wages for CNAs June, everyone else got left behind. Those of us in dietary and housekeeping, and our more experienced CNAs and CMAs deserve better for their service during COVID. This bargaining is an opportunity to rebuild trust. I’m excited to see real wages and steps that are worthy of the commitment we make every day to our residents. Our proposal gets us there.”
— ArNedia Obeketang, Prestige Menlo Park

 

“On day one of bargaining, we came with a full set of proposals on key issues, including a wage scale that honors all workers. I have been a housekeeper with HCSG at Avalon for four years and resident care matters to me. When we work short because we’re under-staffed, it’s our residents who suffer. I hope this contract is the turning point. We’ve been through a lot with COVID and it’s time for these companies to recognize our service.”
—Jeri Simons, Avalon Royal Gardens

“I have been a CNA for 26 years with Avalon. When management works in collaboration with our union, we can make big differences in our lives and the lives of our residents. Our proposal contains so many positive ways to make long-term workers feel respected and valued while improving resident care. Hopefully management will see that.”
—Felipa De Torres, Avalon French Prairie