Roughly 1,000 nursing home workers hit the picket lines across Twin Cities
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — Nearly 1,000 nursing home workers are away from their residents and marching on a picket line. It's one of the biggest strikes the industry has seen in our state.
"We need protection, we need pay and respect," Estates at St. Lous Park nurse Jared Mitga said.
Mitga is among the dozens of nursing home workers picketing outside the Estates at St. Louis Park Tuesday morning. The workers striking come from 12 different facilities across the Twin Cities. It's not just nurses like Mitga, but maintenance, laundry and kitchen staff too. All of them are represented by SEIU Healthcare MN and IA and UFCW 663.
"Our nursing home members deserve better," UFCW 663 president Rena Wong said. "They provide care that all of nursing home residents need and they deserve 25 no their checks."
Money is just one piece they're fighting for. On top of a minimum wage of $25, workers want to see better benefits and retirement security.
"It's about time you respect our job," Mitga said. "We like what we do here. And that's why we are out here to say, you know what, enough is enough."
The strike happens one day after thousands of janitors walked off the job and the country faces one of the worst nursing home worker shortages it's seen.
"My cooks are feeling burnt out," Estates at Excelsior kitchen aide Katrin Becker said. "They worked like over 130 hours, they work three shifts a day. It's consistent work. It's tiresome. But without them, residents wouldn't get the care they need."
A recent analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Data shows Minnesota having the largest workforce shortage in the country — with 41% of facilities operating short-handed in 2022.
"I think everybody would be happy if we collaborate and make things work together," Becker said. "It takes everybody to make sure that our residents are cared for."
A spokesperson with Monarch Healthcare Management, the company operating a majority of the facilities on strike, says all nine of its locations are fully staffed and residents are taken care of.
Tuesday afternoon, strikers took the rally to the state capitol. They plan to picket for the next two days.
