Cedar Haven nurses set to strike on Friday
Members of AFSCME Local 2732 at Cedar Haven Healthcare Center, which include licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants, are set to strike on Friday, October 20.
Director of AFSCME District Council 89 Steve Mullen and employees of Cedar Haven Healthcare Center prepare posters for this Friday’s strike.
A strike was narrowly averted last year, but no agreement has been reached since then, and the employees who make Cedar Haven among the top nursing facilities in the U.S. have had enough. The owners of the nursing home (Stone Barn Holdings) imposed what they called their last, best and final offer on the employees, which included a drastic increase to the employees’ healthcare costs, as well as cuts to paid time off.
The employees voted that offer down, but the owners have already begun implementing it. Cedar Haven was owned by Lebanon County until it was sold to Stone Barn Holdings in 2014. The nursing home employees are now feeling the destructive effects of privatization, and are standing up for themselves.
Despite AFSCME District Council 89 negotiating in good faith on behalf of the employees, Stone Barn would not back down from their inadequate offer, forcing employees to ratify a strike. That strike will now take place on Friday, October 20, at noon, at 590 S 5th Ave, Lebanon, PA 17042. Please join your AFSCME sisters and brothers on the picket line if you are able to.
To read Lebanon Daily News’ story about the strike, click here.