“Dignity for Mothers!” Nursing Home Workers Picket the NJ Assembly

Trenton,NJ – In the lead up to Mother’s Day, 1199SEIU nursing home workers are demanding Assembly action on staffing legislation in an industry where women and mothers comprise the overwhelming majority of patients and caregivers.

Dozens of nursing home caregivers marched a picket line outside the New Jersey State House today, demanding passage of bill A382/S1612 to establish certified nursing aide (CNA)-to-patient staffing ratios in nursing homes. This legislation was passed by the state Senate last July but has been waiting for its vote in the Assembly Appropriations committee for over a year.

Holding signs reading “I am a mother and a caregiver,” workers picketed for hours, marching and chanting in front of the State House steps. Picketers delivered a bed sheet with messages written by caregivers who have a combined 1,464 years of experience working in nursing homes.

Nearly 90% of direct care in nursing homes is provided by CNAs, yet New Jersey ranks 45th in the nation for CNA staffing hours per patient. NJ nursing homes provide an average of just 2.11 hours per resident per day of CNA care, falling 24%-34% below the range recommended by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure “minimally necessary care.”

Poor CNA staffing can cause high rates of bed sores and other serious health conditions, contributes to residents receiving “assembly line service” rather than dignity-preserving care, and creates dangerous working conditions for staff. More CNAs are injured each year than workers in any other profession, according to national statistics. In NJ, there were 5,700 cases of occupational injuries and illnesses in New Jersey nursing and residential care facilities in 2017—an average of more than 15 injuries per day.

“Mother’s Day isn’t just a moment for expressing love to the women who gave us life— it is a time we should be truly honoring our mothers by making real, substantive changes to the way our society supports them. Both in their twilight years and during their working lives, mothers must be championed and supported for their sacrifices and contributions. It’s time for New Jersey to realize a higher standard of compassionate care in nursing homes by passing this legislation without further delay.”
-Milly Silva, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU.

“I am tired of caring for 12 or more residents all by myself, every day. I am tired of working my own health into the ground earning less than $12 an hour for the past 25 years. I love my job and my patients, and we can’t go on like this any longer!”
-Ella Moton, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who currently works as a CNA in Jersey City.

“CNAs often develop life-long health issues because of the stress our bodies are put under due to poor staffing. I have bulging discs in my spine, spinal stenosis, arthritis in my neck and my lower spine. I seriously injured my back in 2012 when I was helping a patient out of bed, and my doctor advised me at the time to go on permanent disability. But that’s not how I want to live my life, I want to continue doing the work that I love,”
-Jerry Christensen, a mother and CNA from Willingboro.

“One night I was the only CNA on my floor with 50 residents. One of my residents was close to passing away, and I wanted to be with her to provide comfort in her last moments. But I was so overwhelmed with my other responsibilities that by the time I made it to her room I discovered that she had already passed, with no one by her side. It was heartbreaking.”
-Josefina Jimenez, a CNA from Passaic.

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in New Jersey and nationwide. We represent over 16,000 healthcare families in New Jersey and over 400,000 total members throughout New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C.   Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.