HARTFORD, CT., December 10 — The struggle at four nursing homes owned by Spectrum Health Care continues (see CHALLENGE, 12/1), with the bosses locking out the workers and the city government breaking the picket line.
The strike, which began in April over wages, holidays and harassment of union workers, became a lockout in August when the union, SEIU-affiliated District 1199, agreed to return to work with no conditions attached. However, since then the Park Street facility here has re-called only about 10 workers of the total work-force of 100, an average of three per month, and not according to seniority.
Furthermore, the jobs are far short of the original ones. All but one are per diem; previously most workers had 32- or 40-hour schedules. Both company actions are Unfair Labor Practices. A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing on Spectrum’s many previous Unfair Practices, originally scheduled for November 2, was postponed until January 25. (NLRB decisions are notorious for screwing workers.)
Meanwhile, the City of Hartford has broken the workers’ picket line, ordering them off the street, thereby taking the company’s side (as all government’s generally do). It is now a “stand around.”
The City claims salaries for three cops at the picket line is “too expensive” so they’ve lowered it to two, charged with barring workers from forming a picket line on the street. They must stay on the sidewalk or be subject to arrest.
Last week the CHALLENGE correspondent brought the movie “Salt of the Earth” — about a New Mexico zinc-miners’ strike — to the workers. They watched the film with obvious enthusiasm.
Afterwards, standing around the fire barrel on the sidewalk, people were talking about the call-backs. One woman said the company “should call everyone back to work together, just like we went out together.”
Another added, “They’re trying to split us up.”
“Just like in the movie,” said the first.
When told that the current CHALLENGE had no article about their struggle, another worker took the paper saying, “That’s okay. I like to read other stories, not just about here.”