GETZVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Nursing home workers at the Weinberg Campus in Getzville are sounding the alarm.
Darlene Gates, an organizer with 1199 United Healthcare Workers East, said workers have called her saying their most recent paychecks bounced.
"It’s very concerning. You know, most of our workers live paycheck to paycheck, and this is a true hardship for them, you know. And also it's very scary they don't know. Like, what does that mean? This has never happened to them before," Gates said.
This only adds to the ongoing concerns workers have over unpaid wage increases and benefits which workers picketed against last week outside of the Weinberg Campus.
Gates said they reached a bargaining agreement 18 months ago and that workers have yet to see any of those wage and benefit promises.
"There's such a push to save the campus because Weinberg, over the years, has accumulated a lot of debt and only other way out to save that, to save Weinberg, is to put that company into receivership," he said.
Recently the union, the Weinberg Campus board chairman and other organizations signed a letter requesting state health department funding to facilitate the transfer of new ownership.
The letter said they are seeking $14 million to prevent the campus from closing.
"We're hoping that this is a wake-up call for the state to step in and for the governor's office to really help address this true crisis," Gates said. "If that doesn't happen, then we're in crisis."
I did reach out to the state's health department. I'm told the department is reviewing the letter and sent the following statement:
The wellbeing of nursing home residents, and ensuring they receive proper care, is a priority for the New York State Department of Health. The Department is committed to holding nursing homes and their operators accountable for the quality of care they provide.
I've made multiple attempts to contact Weinberg leadership about this but have yet to hear back.
"We’re gonna keep fighting until we have no more fight," Gates said.
