Thousands of Connecticut nursing home staffers are renewing threats to strike unless the state increases Medicaid payments.
Unionized workers gathered at the state’s Capitol Wednesday, demanding 4% pay raises in each of the next two years, or about $40 million more in funding. Members of SEIU 1199 New England have now ballooned the total involved to 3,100 workers across 25 Connecticut nursing homes, who plan to decide by May 8 whether they’ll walk out.
Workers said they have received just a 2% raise since 2015 and are struggling to pay bills.
“People cannot live, cannot provide for their families, cannot put food on the table, cannot pay for the mortgage on raises where you are talking about a quarter to 30 cents over five years,” said union President Rob Baril.
SEIU had originally planned to strike on Wednesday, but leaders withdrew the threat amid optimism that a deal could be worked out. Gov. Ned Lamont said in a letter to the union that he’d work to increase state funding for skilled care facilities. Union officials are proposing that the state and federal government share the cost for additional payments. Medicaid currently covers about 70% of nursing home care in the state.
