Pennsylvania Nursing Home Workers Join Local 1034 (8/25/11)

(l to r) RWDSU Organizer Paul Bazemore, new Local 1034 member Lucy Hurst, RWDSU Organizer Allen Mayne, RWDSU Organizer Luis Lopez, Local 1034 Sec.-Treas. Gary Barker, and Local 1034 Pres. Joseph DiCamillo.

RWDSU Local 1034 has welcomed another 80 nursing home workers into the RWDSU. The employees of Kingston Commons nursing home in Kingston, Pennsylvania join over 300 nursing home workers who have become Local 1034 members over the past two years.
It didn’t take long for the members to see the change that a union brings. Shortly after voting to join Local 1034, the workers overwhelmingly ratified their first union contract.

“It was time for a change at Kingston Commons, and with our new union contract, we are finally seeing it,” said Certified Nurses Aide Lucy Hurst. “We’ve got wage and benefit improvements, but most importantly, we’ve got a say on how things are done around here now.”

Wages will increase every six months over the life of the two-year agreement, and a 401K plan has been created for all of the workers. In addition, with a union contract comes seniority protocols and protection against the favoritism and unfair treatment that the workers sought to end when they joined RWDSU Local 1034.