Over 300 nursing home staff members on strike against Ciena Healthcare
Workers at five Ciena Healthcare nursing home facilities in Metro Detroit are taking part in a one-day strike Tuesday.
The strike began at 6 a.m. and includes over 300 nursing home workers at the following sites:
- Boulevard Temple Care Center on West Grand Boulevard, Detroit.
- Notting Hill of West Bloomfield on Drake Road in West Bloomfield Township.
- Qualicare Nursing Home on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit.
- The Regency at Chene on East Vernor Highway in Detroit.
- Regency at St. Clair Stores on Greater Mack Avenue in Detroit.
The union representing the workers is SEIU Health Care Michigan (SEIU HCMI).
The strike is meant to draw attention to the fact that Ciena Healthcare, which is the largest nursing home operator in Michigan, and the union, which is the largest healthcare union in the state have failed to reach a bargaining agreement. The union said many of the employees have been working without a contract for months, some as far back as January 2024.
"You get attached to the people you work with," said healthcare worker Khristina Herst. "You get attached these beautiful residents that live here, and it makes it harder for you to want to go somewhere else because you love them so much."
"It's very sad," said healthcare worker Deidra Lingham. "I've been here seven years, and some people have worked longer than I have, 10 years, and they can't get anything. You have people still at $16/hour."
Both Lingam and Herst work at Notting Hill Nursing Home.
In response to the strike, Ciena Healthcare CEO David Parker has issued the following statement:
24 hour strikes by members of SEIU Healthcare of Michigan are underway at five nursing facilities managed by Ciena Healthcare in Southeast Michigan. Each of these collective bargaining agreements are separate and distinct agreements not linked to each other.
First and foremost, our impacted facilities have made necessary preparations and are continuing to provide quality care to all residents during these strikes by SEIU Healthcare of Michigan.
These strikes at this time by SEIU Healthcare of Michigan are unnecessary given that (i) none of the collective bargaining agreements are at an impasse, (ii) two facilities are in the early stages of bargaining, (iii) SEIU Healthcare of Michigan has not been in a hurry to reach new agreements until now (failing to provide dates to bargain and canceling scheduled sessions) and (iv) at each bargaining table, the employer has offered numerous contract enhancements including wage increases for each year of the contract and for years of seniority. Simply stated, this strike is diverting attention away from bargaining to resolve the few remaining open issues in each agreement and we look forward to working with the Union to obtain favorable contracts for our employees.
Ciena Healthcare leadership appreciates the work done by all employees who are members of the collective bargaining units represented by SEIU Healthcare of Michigan and provide quality care to our residents on a daily basis.
