Update about the CT nursing home union members, strikes, threats of strikes…THIS needs to stop.

NEW BRITAIN — Workers at Brittany Farms Health Center have authorized a second strike in as many months. However, they are calling on Brittany Farms for more negotiations in an effort to reach a contract and avoid a strike.

“It’s disturbing, to say the least, that Brittany Farms has offered no new proposals in the last two negotiation sessions,” Jerry Brown of District 1199 wrote in a letter sent to Brittany Farms’ attorney Thomas Gibbons. “It would appear that Brittany Farms is not interested in working together to reach a mutual agreement.”

Brown said it is still the union’s hope that disruptions to the nursing home residents and to workers’ own families can be avoided. He added that with continued discussions he believed a resolution could be reached.

In a letter to Brown, Gibbons said management would agree to meet on the union’s suggested date of Feb. 16.

Lynn Ricci, administrator of Brittany Farms Health Center, told The Herald that voting to authorize a strike and setting a strike date “are two very different things.”

“Publicizing their authorization of a strike is another attempt by the union to put pressure on management. Also, they continue to say that Brittany Farms is owned by the Hospital for Special Care. That is not true. Brittany Farms Health Center is a standalone, not-for-profit facility.”

Ricci added that it was “disingenuous” for District 1199 to say that Brittany Farms has offered no new proposals in the latest negotiating sessions.

“That is simply an untrue statement,” Ricci said. “We submitted a proposal to the union on Dec. 21. Seven weeks later, the union has yet to make a counter-offer to the proposal on the table. Brittany Farms management will do everything necessary to ensure that the nursing home continues to operate and provide excellent quality care for our residents.”

Jennifer Smith of District 1199 acknowledged that no strike date has been set. In Brown’s letter, District 1199 offered to negotiate on any of six different dates between Feb. 13 and 22.

The 220 certified nursing assistants, dietary, laundry, housekeeping and other nursing home staff held a one-day strike Jan. 5.

Key issues in the contract talks are job security, health-insurance costs and wage increases. Last August, workers voted to join District 1199.

Smith said she hopes another day or two of negotiations will avoid another strike.She said “dozens of other nursing homes were able to settle contracts with the union in 2005 without striking,” including first contracts like the one being negotiated at Brittany Farms. She pointed out that agreements at Kimberly Hall North and South in Windsor and Kettle Brook in East Windsor included significant reductions in the cost of employees’ health insurance premiums and substantial wage increases totaling at least $2.40 an hour over four years.

“District 1199 may have settled contracts with other nursing homes,” Ricci said. “However, Brittany Farms is a not-for-profit facility that needs to negotiate a contract in keeping with our mission, (one that) is fair to all of our employees. We don’t feel it’s beneficial to compare us to other facilities, particularly for-profit facilities. It’s common knowledge that many facilities represented by District 1199 have experienced significant layoffs or closures as a result of financial demands.”

Brittany Farms Health Center is a 282-bed nursing home managed by Southington-based Athena Health Care.

The New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1199, represents more than 20,000 health care workers in nursing homes, hospitals, state and private agencies, ambulance services and other health care centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Everyone’s healthcare costs are going up. It doesn’t matter what industry you work in. To demand a better deal is asking alot these days. I don’t like it any more than the next person, but these unions will close down nursing homes.