Leadership of three providers and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania reached agreement on contract negotiations for about 700 nursing home workers over the weekend.

The workers, employed by Comprehensive Healthcare, Priority Healthcare, and Shenandoah Heights Healthcare, had been on strike since Labor Day Weekend. The workers wanted providers to ensure use of $600 million in public funds from the state budget would go to staffing and resident care.

The three providers gave McKnight’s Long-Term Care News a brief statement Monday, expressing their pleasure. 

“We are thrilled to have reached a fair and amicable agreement with the union to ensure our teams and our residents continue to receive the exceptional care and support they deserve.”

On August 30, Guardian Healthcare-owned facilities reached agreement with its union workers before they struck. On Monday, Guardian told McKnight’s:

“We are pleased that our collaborative efforts with SEIU resulted in a fair agreement that shows Guardian’s commitment to our team members. Even though we had contingency plans in place in the event of a work stoppage, we believe this agreement is what is best for our communities, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to enhance the wages and working conditions of all Guardian employees.

Our goal is to make Guardian an employer of choice for everyone who works here, from those who deliver frontline care to those behind the scenes. All of Guardian’s team members make our success possible.”

According to the union press release, contracts for all the homes over three ownership groups were separate but all included:

  • pay raises averaging 24% that consider worker longevity and experience and the departments;
  • adjustments to health insurance to make costs more affordable for all caregivers and ensure more in-network providers;
  • a commitment to adhere to the upcoming improved state staffing regulations;
  • successorship language to maintain union contracts if these nursing homes are sold, rather than contracts being dismantled in a sale. This protection ensures union members have the right to maintain their contracts with the new employers for a period of time, until a new agreement is reached.

The contract for Shenandoah Heights employees also included employer-paid holidays.