Some of the local nursing home workers say they are just hours away from going on strike. The action would impact nine nursing homes in the Chicago area.
"I love what I do; I've been here for 15 years," said certified nursing assistant Roz Reggans. "Some of the residents, we are all they have, as far as family."
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Reggans is one of 700 workers of Infinity Healthcare Management nursing homes planning to hit the picket lines Monday morning. The strike would impact 11 facilities in the state, most of them in the Chicago area.
The workers said they have been without a contract since June.
"The last thing we wanted to do was go on strike," Reggans said.
Workers are demanding at least a $15 an hour wage, hazard pay for all employees and a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment.
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"We're looking for hazard pay, not just for a few people but for everyone, because we've had members die who are housekeeping laundry workers, dietary workers; members are dying. I'm not talking about just CNAs, not just people who are dealing directly with COVID patients," said Shaba Andrich with SEIU Healthcare Illinois.
On Wednesday, Infinity workers held a demonstration at City View Multicare Center in Cicero. The facility has had more than 200 COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Workers said the residents back their plans to strike.
"Right now residents are being hurt," Andrich said. "They were short-staffed before the pandemic, now they're even more short-staffed because these nursing homes just can't compete with other nursing homes around them with attracting and retaining workers."
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November 23, 2020 at 12:11PM
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Nursing home workers threaten strike in fight for better wages, hazard pay, PPE - WLS-TV
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