Union calls off planned strike at two WNY nursing homes

About 170 unionized workers at Safire Rehabilitation of Northtowns in the Town of Tonawanda and Williamsville Suburban Care Center in Amherst had planned a 24-hour strike over unfair labor practices Wednesday.

But on Monday, union negotiators had a brief conversation with Solomon Abramczyk, one of the owners of the two facilities who initially failed to sign a tentative one-year deal reached July 2.

Abramczyk signed the agreement Monday, and ratification votes will be held at both facilities this week, according to 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents the workers.

Details of the deal will be made public if it is ratified by union members, but 1199SEIU said the agreement comes with better wages that should help recruit and retain experienced workers.

“Experience pay is important because you go to school to get your license or you take classes to get your certification,” said Heather Benns, a licensed practical nurse. “If you have 30 years of experience with that certification or 10 years of experience with that license, you bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to a nursing home. That has a huge impact on resident care, especially as we see an increasing number of residents with very high-acuity needs.”

The union had also filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on July 8, alleging that the employer bargained in bad faith when Abramczyk failed to sign the agreement. Now that the agreement has been signed, the union said that complaint will be withdrawn.

1199SEIU represents about 70 workers at Safire Northtowns nursing homes, including certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and unit clerks. In Williamsville Suburban, the union represents more than 100 workers, including nursing assistants, certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, physical therapy assistants, unit secretaries and maintenance assistants.

Safire Northtowns and Williamsville Suburban both have overall ratings of one star out of five, well below average, on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website.

According to the state Department of Health, Safire Northtowns is owned by Judy Landa, Richard Platschek, Solomon Abramczyk, Robert Schuck and Moshe Steinberg. Williamsville Suburban is owned by Platschek and Abramczyk.