Ingleside Workers Finally Get Contract

Almost 200 workers at the Ingleside nursing home finally have a contract. “This contract gives us power to take better care of our patients, to advocate for us and them,” said Aliette Bastien, a Certified Nursing Assistant who’s worked at Ingleside for 12 years and was instrumental in the union effort. “The victory at Ingleside is 100% because of the workers,” added John Reid, Executive Vice President of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. “They faced threats, coercion and fear of losing their jobs but they never gave up fighting for their rights.” After Ingleside workers voted in the union in January 2006 and began negotiating a contract, “management sought to thwart the worker’s drive to unionize by intimidating workers, confiscating literature, telling workers they were being watched and photographing employees as they participated in union activities,” the union reports. Workers fought back, staging several large demonstrations, including a June 2007 event that closed down Military Road with DC Council members Muriel Bowser and Kwame Brown joining Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams urging Ingleside management to recognize the worker’s right to organize. In addition to wage and benefit increases, the 2-year contract includes job protection and a grievance procedure with binding arbitration.