At HCR ManorCare in Salisbury, a two-year labor dispute continues to linger

Standing down the road from the Salisbury Township adult care facility where she has worked for the past four years, Ruth Santamaria donned a red union cap, clutched a megaphone and gripped a sign that read, “Every day is Halloween at ManorCare. They suck workers’ blood.”

Santamaria was among several employees who joined representatives from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union — the union HCR ManorCare workers voted to join — at a rally Tuesday afternoon at the busy intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Fish Hatchery Road, a football field from HCR ManorCare at 1265 S. Cedar Crest Blvd.


“The message is that we’re tired,” said Santamaria, a certified nursing assistant at the facility. “We made a choice, and we want them to respect our choice. All we want is for them to sit down at the table and negotiate with us.”

But negotiations — or any progress — has been elusive in this labor beef that started more than two years ago, an impasse over staffing levels, pay and benefits that has included plenty of legal challenges and shows no sign of speeding toward a resolution anytime soon.
 

HCR ManorCare workers first voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in October 2015, a vote that was certified by the Philadelphia office of the National Labor Relations Board. But HCR ManorCare successfully challenged the decision, alleging pro-union bias against the Philadelphia office’s director.

So the case was kicked over to the NLRB’s office in Pittsburgh. Many hearings and filings later, a second vote was held in November 2016, when 39 HCR ManorCare employees voted to join the union and 16 voted against unionizing. But HCR ManorCare objected again, arguing, among other things, the Pittsburgh office inaccurately labeled the election as a “re-run election” without providing employees with any notice or reason for why a re-run was occurring.

But, last month, the NLRB denied HCR ManorCare’s request and closed the case — but that doesn’t mean the dispute is over.

In an email, HCR ManorCare spokeswoman Julie Beckert said the company intends to continue to pursue legal action, though nothing has been filed yet.

Ben Townsend, a union spokesman, said that’s his understanding as well.

“Now we are at a point where they are indicating to us that they are thinking of appealing that decision to an even higher court, which would just let it languish for even longer,” Townsend said. “It’s clear these workers want this — just sit down and negotiate a contract.”

The workers’ main issue, he said, is understaffing at the facility. But, Beckert said, the facility is staffed above the state’s requirement, though she did not provide a current employment count.

Workers are also hoping to negotiate better pay — some workers make $14 an hour, Townsend said — and benefits. For example, Santamaria said her starting pay at the facility four years ago was $13.55 an hour, a rate that has only increased to $14.11 today.

Beckert said, as a matter of policy, HCR ManorCare does not discuss union requests or issues publicly.
“Our focus, as always, is on providing the highest quality of care and a physical facility, which allows our patients and residents to live with dignity and respect,” she said. “We are focused on being the employer of choice and feel that we have systems in place to address employee questions and concerns.”

So for the employer, workers and union, Tuesday’s rally was just the latest development in a two-year case that actually hasn’t progressed much at all.

During that time, Santamaria said several of her coworkers have left for other jobs. But she has stayed, preferring to see the fight through to the end.

Time will tell what her next sign will say.

Source: The Morning Call