New Jersey Nursing Home Workers Threaten Strike
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Health care workers in four nursing homes in Hudson and Bergen counties in New Jersey said Wednesday that they are ready to strike if a deal cannot be reached.
As WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported, no one was available to comment Wednesday at the Alaris Health corporate office in Jersey City. But at nearby Journal Square, workers were chanting, "Enough is enough, we don't want to strike."
Service Employees International Union Local 1199 executive Milly Silva said a strike will go ahead if Alaris sticks to wanting its nursing home workers to pay more for family health benefits and offering less than 1 percent annual raises.
"Many workers already have no choice but to enroll in public assistance just to get their children the health care they need," Silva said.
Housekeeper Jean Fritz Jean-Pierre said they just want a fair offer from Alaris.
"My family is a big family and I want to support them," Jean-Pierre said.
Their contracts expired almost four months ago. Union workers last went on strike in 2009.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com: