“2020 heroes, 2023 zeroes,” a sign read describing health care workers on day six of their 11-day picket outside Cold Spring Hills Nursing Home on Aug. 9.
The workers at Cold Spring Hills are members of the union 1199SEIU United Health Care Workers East — and according to one of the union officials, Cold Spring Hills’ ownership reported that they could not afford to pay their share for its workers’ health care and other benefits.
“This is an employer that is already under investigation by the Attorney General’ss office and has a lawsuit filed against them for diverting close to $20 million away from the facility that should be going through resident care and the workers, to ensure that it’s a quality place for them to live and work,” Timothy Rodgers, vice president of 1199’s nursing home division, said. “We’re calling on New York State to step in, because this employer has shown that they have an inability to operate this facility effectively and ensure the well being of the residents and the workers. We’re asking the Department of Health to appoint an emergency receiver to stabilize the working conditions and the living conditions of the residents.”
The lawsuit Rodgers refers to was filed by Attorney General Letitia James in December 2022, claiming that “owners of Cold Spring Hills allegedly diverted $22.6 million in government funding from resident care, causing widespread neglect and abuse.”
Health Care Workers at Cold Spring Hills Voice Their Grievances
According to the workers, they will lose their benefits by August 25 — which is already a 30-day extension from July 25, the date they were initially told their benefits would run out.
“Every member received a letter that our medical benefits were terminated July 25,” Michele Byrne, a physical therapy assistant at the nursing home, said. “We got a 30-day extension, and we’re in that extension right now.”
Byrne has worked at Cold Spring Hills since 1984, and claims that this is the most egregious act she’s seen take place at the nursing home.
“In my wildest dreams, I would never have thought that this would have happened,” Byrne said. “In 2001, I had a rare form of pneumonia. I ended up on life support. I was out of work for six months, I had to learn how to walk again, how to talk again. I was on dialysis, and I was 39 years old. I had two small children.”
Byrne added that 1199 was able to cover all of her expenses, and that was why she showed up for the picket.
“It feels like we’re on the Titanic, and it’s sinking. And nobody’s coming to save us,” Byrne added.
Polly Henry, a unit clerk at Cold Spring Hills, said that many of the workers are pursuing a passion to help others — and this kind of action on the owners’ part forces workers to choose between their own needs and the needs of the patients they help.
“I love elderly care,” Henry said. “The wealth of knowledge, I mean, it’s like going to university working with them. They love us and we love them. What’s going on in this facility is greed. They have the money at their disposal. How can someone steal 22.6 million be sued by the Attorney General and get to escape from Long Island to Florida to buy more nursing homes?”
Other workers at the facility said that in addition to the benefits running out, they still have not received their promised COVID pay.
“I want to know — where is our COVID pay?” Judith Patterson-Djalo, who has worked there for 37 years, said. “I’ve heard that they have had the COVID money for quite a bit of time. I don’t want to get off track — we do want our benefits, too. But we want the COVID money to be paid out as well.”
Politicians Show Support For Healthcare Workers
A number of elected officials — current and former — came to show their support for the health care workers of the nursing home.
“We in government have an obligation to make sure that people meet their obligations in the private sector and in places like this institution needs to meet its obligation to its workers,” Jon Kaiman, Deputy Suffolk County Executive, said. “We in government, are prepared to put our names out here in solidarity with them, because at the end of the day the company here has an obligation to pay benefits.”
Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan came out in support as well.
“Our office is filled with complaints about this facility for years,” Lafazan said. “The staff has been remarkable dealing with COVID, dealing with financial strain dealing with stress and burnout of being a healthcare worker. These workers are amazing. And they’ve dealt with issues with management, and then for management to go ahead and say ‘our health care heroes don’t deserve health care themselves?’ It’s maddening.”
