Above photo: Members of the SEIU Healthcare Illinois union cheer as a motorist honks during their news conference outside the Alden Wentworth nursing home on West 69th Street in Chicago on Monday, April 27, 2020. Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune.

Workers at 40 nursing homes in Illinois, nearly all in the Chicago area, said Monday they have set a strike date for May 8, as contract negotiations come to a head while coronavirus cases are hitting a peak.

SEIU Healthcare Illinois stated that it represents more than 10,000 workers at 100 nursing homes. The workers do not include doctors or nurses, but encompass certified nursing assistants and other support staff. They are negotiating with the Illinois Association of Healthcare Facilities on a new contract to succeed the current one, which expires April 30.

The list of 40 homes targeted by workers could increase in the coming days, officials said. Many of the workers are making little more than Chicago’s minimum wage of $13 an hour for “backbreaking,” essential work taking care of society’s most vulnerable members, said Shaba Andrich, vice president for nursing homes. The union is seeking at least $15 an hour across the board for the workers, plus hazard pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic.

“They were already struggling to take care of their families,” Andrich said. “We’re asking nursing homes to step up and do what’s right.”

Workers also demanded improved staffing, better training and more personal protective equipment to guard against COVID-19, all of which, they said, have been sadly lacking. Some workers said they were forced to use one mask for an entire eight-hour shift, instead of multiple masks recommended under health guidelines […]

Via https://popularresistance.org/nursing-home-workers-authorize-may-8-strike-at-40-facilities/