Doctor and senior woman wearing facemasks during coronavirus and flu outbreak. Virus protection. COVID-2019..

Cut benefits and frozen wages led about 360 San Francisco nursing home employees to strike on Monday. The employees at the Jewish Home for the Aged began their strike at 6 a.m. Monday and were expected to return at 6 a.m. today.

Certified nursing assistants at the facility currently earn wages starting at $12.50 per hour, and dietary, housekeeping and laundry workers earn wages starting at $10.50 an hour. The employees are seeking to preserve their current benefits and earn wage increases of 3% per year, according to officials with the Service Employees International Union Local 250.
 
“Management left the bargaining table and our goal is to get them to come back and treat workers with dignity and bring back the health benefits that were cut,” said a union representative Monday evening. Employees say their requests are reasonable in light of claims that the facility made $34 million in profits over the past five years.