Workers at Oakland County nursing home set to strike over pay, staffing levels

Christina Hall
Detroit Free Press

Workers at an Oakland County nursing home voted to strike later this month, saying they are fighting for better pay and staffing levels as well as improved quality of care for patients.

Workers at SKLD Bloomfield Hills voted to issue a strike notice on July 11, according to a statement issued by SEIU Healthcare Michigan. The strike is expected to last one day.

"It's the pay. It's the (lack of) bonuses. And when we come with concerns, they sweep it under the rug," said Aulana Harper, who said she has worked as a certified nursing assistant at the facility for two years. "We just want to our voices to be heard and for them to respect us."

The union says SKLD Bloomfield Hills engaged in unfair labor practices and failed to guarantee a safe and healthy workplace with a "crushing combination" of unsafe staffing ratios, low wages despite the rising costs, and requiring workers to pick up extra shifts, risking burnout.

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Harper said the skilled workers, who are not in a union but are trying to unionize, include CNAs, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and laundry and kitchen staff.

She said pay is low and workers don't get bonuses. The majority of CNAs make $17.50 per hour, which, she said, is below what other facilities pay. Kitchen and laundry workers are paid less, she said.

Harper said she drives 30 minutes from her Detroit home to work, but some of her co-workers drive 45 minutes to an hour to their jobs.

With less staff, CNAs have to care for more patients, she said, whom they bathe and feed. She said if there are only four CNAs working, they may have 25 patients each to care for, bringing more work than employees can handle.

The Free Press sent a message to SKLD seeking comment Friday morning, but didn't get a response.

The Bloomfield Hills facility has between 60 and 80 workers. It had a census of 140 patients as of June 15, according to a document on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website.

It's been a revolving door at many long-term care facilities in Michigan and across the country across all jobs, leading to a critical staffing crisis for some of the most vulnerable populations already devastated by the coronavirus.

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The AARP said last month that the nation's nursing home industry lost about 235,000 jobs since March 2020, citing an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That's about 15% of the nursing home workforce.

In October, a Free Press story detailed the situation, which had gotten so bad industry groups were begging for workers and lobbying Congress for relief. Some nursing home and long-term care facilities turned away new admissions while others closed off portions of their facilities to make better use of existing staff. Others were concerned they would have to close their doors.

The situation hasn't improved much.

Saran Walker protests along with the SEIU Michigan Healthcare union for working conditions at the Ambassador nursing home on April 9, 2020, in Detroit. Workers at the home were just recently given the necessary PPE needed to treat patients.

Thirty percent of skilled nursing facilities reported nursing shortages and 31% reported aide shortages, according to the state's COVID-19 response data and modeling update published Tuesday.

The American Health Care Association, which represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the U.S., released a survey last month highlighting a serious staffing crisis the industry is still facing.

Among the findings:

  • 87% of nursing home providers said they are facing moderate to high staffing shortages. Nearly half are facing a high level of staffing shortages.
  • 98% are having difficulty hiring staff.
  • Nearly 99% of nursing home providers are asking staff to work overtime or extra shifts. More than 70% hired temporary agency staff. 
  • Nine out of 10 nursing home providers have offered increased wages and bonuses. Yet 76% said their current financial situation and lack of funding is an obstacle in being able to offer competitive wages to hire new staff.

The association said the survey also found that new admissions are still being limited in many cases because of staffing shortages and 73% of providers are concerned about having to close their facilities.

“Lawmakers across the country must prioritize long-term care residents and staff, and that begins with providing resources to address workforce challenges," association President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in a news release. "As a provider that uniquely relies on government funding, policymakers must help nursing homes better compete for nurses and nurse aides, as well as build up the pipeline to incentivize more people to pursue a career in long-term care."

Free Press staff writer Kristen Jordan Shamus contributed to this story.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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