Maryland Caregivers Rally For Safe Staffing, Better Jobs

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Facing an “intense fear campaign” by management, nursing home caregivers at Summit Park Health and Rehabilitation Center rallied in Catonsville, Maryland yesterday in their latest push for a fair contract. “Despite working hard everyday, we can’t provide the care our residents deserve or the standard of living our families need,” said Donta Marshall, a Summit Park worker and mother of three. “Sometimes two nursing assistants are responsible for up to 42 patients per shift, and we have to bathe, dress and reposition all of them, many of whom are at risk of falling.” Workers say they struggle with as many as 21 residents per nursing assistant, have little money for training and education, cannot afford health insurance for their own children and can barely subsist on poverty wages. “All across our country, working people are fed up and want the right to a good job so we can raise our families with dignity and a sense of hope,” said John Reid, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “Right now, Summit Park is part of the problem, dragging down the local economy by mistreating workers and understaffing the facility. We’re calling on the owners to instead be part of the solution, and work with us to ensure quality care and quality jobs for the Catonsville area.” Email dave.bates@1199.org for more information. - photo courtesy 1199SEIU