Nursing home workers were on strike last Thursday at 19 nursing homes across Florida.
Consulate Health Care workers are demanding $15 an hour. Kimberly White is a certified nursing assistant striking in Lake Mary.
“We’ve asked them for a decent living wage time and time again,” White said. “We’ve often been met with a 5 cent raise, 10 cent raise, the most being 15 cents. … So we’ve come to the point where we understand if we keep taking pennies, we’ll receive pennies. Now it’s time to start demanding dollars.”
Videos online show workers striking in Kissimmee, many in blue scrubs, chanting for $15 an hour. The health care workers union represents certified nursing assistants and others who work at Consulate Health Care.
“While we are disappointed in the union’s decision to strike, the continuity of patient and resident care will remain unaffected thanks to the combined efforts of our dedicated staff and compassionate fellow care center volunteers,” company officials wrote in a statement. “We will continue to work in good faith, as we have always done, towards a resolution.”
Reporter Abe Aboraya is part of WMFE in Orlando. WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
