Nursing homes threaten to close

A group of nursing homes at odds with a union workers informed them which unless they agree to concessions they have been considering shutting their facilities.The association sent letters to workers at a West River Health Care Center in Milford, a Danbury Health Care Center, Long Ridge of Stamford, Westport Health Care Center as well as a Newington Health Care Center which pronounced a association is seriously considering filing applications with a Connecticut Department of Social Services to close their centers.Union members of Service Employees International District 1199 have been but a contract since March 2011 as well as employees at a West River were locked out Dec. 13. Employees at a other four comforts continue to work under a expired contract.Company spokesman Ed Remilard pronounced a nursing facilities, along with all others in a state, have been dealing with an 11.1 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement which took effect Oct 1, 2011. The association pronounced a workers can save their jobs if they agree to a proposed concessions.But some workers pronounced a hazard to close a centers is a strong-arm tactic of negotiations.Michelle Baricko, upon a white picket line Thursday, pronounced a hazard to close a comforts is a ploy.She pronounced while a lockout has been difficult, a concessions have been not acceptable.HealthBridge Inc. offering employees a 3 percent raise over 3 years, coupling it with an increase in health insurance benefits as well as a reduction in paid time off. The association also wants to stop a contributions to a defined good grant plan, offering a 401(k) devise instead."The $700 a month for health insurance is similar to two paychecks," pronounced Baricko. "Most of us have been single mothers as well as a biggest fear is not being able to put food upon a table for a kids."In a letter to HealthBridge profession Jonathan Kaplan Thursday Union president David Pickus pronounced in which a company's claim to be negotiating in good faith is untrue, since it has barely budged from a original "take it or leave it" offer. The union is adamantly opposed to a shutting of any HealthBridge facility.Union spokeswoman Deborah Chernoff pronounced Thursday morning which a company's letter "is nothing reduced of extortion. They have been holding a care of 1,200 people hostage. They competence as well have cut letters out of a newspaper: `Give me what you want or else.'"Talks were scheduled for Feb. twenty-three as well as Feb. 29 before a association suggested which it competence apply to close a five facilities. Those talks will likely go forward, Chernoff said. "But you have been confused whether we're going to be negotiating over closure or for a brand new contract,'' she said.HealthBridge spokeswoman Lisa Crutchfield pronounced a union has settled contracts with 40 other nursing homes in a past year, as well as most of those have employee grant plans as well as eight paid hours a day.The process of shutting a nursing facility can be lengthy as well as complex. The association contingency file a certificate of need with a state Department of Social Services, a public hearing contingency be held as well as a association would have to prove which there have been enough beds in a state to accept their patients, officials said. fjuliano@ctpost.com; 203-520-6986; http://twitter.com/frankjuliano Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc

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