First Contract at Genesis Hopkins (8/18/09)

On August 6, new RWDSU Local 1034 members at Genesis Hopkins Center, a nursing home facility serving the Philadelphia area, on ratified their first union contract. The 70 service and maintenance workers there joined the RWDSU after winning an election last year.

The contract provides for reduced health care costs, increased sick and personal time off, guaranteed six month pay increases and a complete grievance and arbitration process to protect the employees in the workplace. Seniority provisions have also been implemented.

Having a union contract has been a big change for workers at Genesis.
“Favoritism was a huge issue here, and one of the main reasons we wanted to join the RWDSU,” said Jessica Ortiz, a certified nursing assistant who has worked at Genesis for over two years. “If a supervisor didn’t like you, you couldn’t get the overtime hours you wanted, and you had no say in your scheduling. We are glad that we have a union on our side.”