Mountain View workers fight for contract as resident care suffers under new ownership
Allaire Takes Over
Mountain View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Northumberland County was taken over by Allaire Health Services, a New Jersey-based company that owns several for-profit senior care facilities in multiple states.
Since taking over on January 1, 2025, Allaire has made life more difficult and uncertain for the nursing home’s residents and employees alike.
Members of AFSCME Local 2016, who are the nurses, cooks, dietary aides, maintenance workers, secretaries, and drivers who keep the facility running to provide the best care possible, are fed up with declining conditions at their workplace since it was taken over by this company.
Upon their takeover, Allaire imposed “initial terms” on Mountain View workers. These terms took away employees’ paid lunch breaks, eliminated overtime over eight hours, reduced holidays, wiped out sick leave banks, and enrolled employees in a poor healthcare plan with a $4,000 deductible that they did not sign up for in many cases.
The new owners also terminated seven union members, including Richard Pawlicki, a 38-year Maintenance employee who said, “I was discriminated against because I was the highest paid maintenance employee, my age, and because of my disability.”
In addition to workers being fired, many longtime employees have been so disgusted by what has happened that they are resigning.
Michelle Derr has been an LPN at Mountain View for nearly 25 years and said she got into this line of work because she “care(s) about the elderly and the community,” but she is very upset by what has happened to her workplace.
“Since I’ve worked here, I’ve progressively seen things go downhill. This is pretty much the bottom of the barrel at this point,” Michelle said.
“At this point, I see the place crumbling.”
Michelle Derr, AFSCME Local 2016 member and 25-year LPN at Mountain View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, wants better for her residents and coworkers.
Workers Request to Bargain
Throughout all the disarray, the union worked to address issues as they arose while repeatedly requesting to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. After several delays, the company finally agreed to negotiate for three days, March 13-15. The company insisted that the negotiations take place in Harrisburg, about 70 miles away from Mountain View, whereas negotiations had taken place at the nursing home in the past.
This forced Local Union President Amy Thomas and Vice President Laura Snyder, who are both Licensed Practical Nurses at Mountain View, to travel to Harrisburg and stay overnight to be able to negotiate. They were happy to do this, even though it meant having to alter their work schedules, for a fair contract. However, once they finally reached the bargaining table, Allaire had only sent their lawyer and had no company representatives present, and it became clear they were not interested in a fair contract.
After two days of back-and-forth, the company’s lawyer falsely claimed bad faith bargaining on the union’s part and walked away from negotiations, canceling the third day of talks that had been scheduled. The lawyer walked up the street to his office while the nurses drove 70 miles home to deliver the news to their coworkers that no agreement has been reached.
The workers are discouraged by this, but they are not defeated. While the union members plan their next moves, it is their hope that an agreement that benefits both residents and employees can still be reached.
The nurses of Mountain View want a fair contract so they can focus on caring for their residents! Pictured left to right: Local 2016 VP Laura Snyder, Michelle Derr, Rochelle Hinds Gonzalez, Local 2016 President Amy Thomas, Hannah Long, and Tracey Shaw.
Patient Care Suffers
In addition to these anti-union, anti-worker tactics that are causing more undue stress for already overworked employees, Allaire has altered food and medical supply orders, greatly degrading the quality of life for residents in the facility.
According to employees, the food is now ordered from another New Jersey-based company, and the delivery truck often arrives late. Now, the nursing home regularly runs out of food, including bread, juice, and snacks, which is detrimental to all residents, especially those with diabetes. When the food does arrive, it is of noticeably lower quality.
It has gotten to the point where nurses at Mountain View feel the need to go out and buy supplies at the grocery store with their own money to avoid residents going without.
Employees also reported that Allaire has reduced the amount of other supplies the facility is ordering, including medically necessary and doctor-ordered supplies, all in the name of increasing profits for the out-of-state owners.
“I just feel bad for the residents I take care of. They’re not getting the care they once got, and a lot of the good workers we have are leaving,” Amy Thomas said.
“This company doesn’t offer the same care as they once did. These companies that are taking over places – this being one of them – are all for profit. They are not for the residents or patient care, and they’re not for the employees. To them, you’re just a number and that’s all you are.”
Mountain View residents and their families are noticing the decline, as well. One resident sent a voice message to AFSCME saying, “This place is getting like a jail. You can’t get anything. You can’t do anything. The nurses are underpaid and overworked. They don’t even give us diabetic snacks. Something needs to be done!”
The AFSCME members at Mountain View agree that something needs to be done, and it starts with Allaire coming back to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith.
This is about fair pay, benefits, and working conditions, but to the workers, this is ultimately about the ability to provide the best possible care for the residents they love.
AFSCME Local 2016 President and Mountain View LPN Amy Thomas wants a fair contract so she and her coworkers can focus on providing the best care possible to nursing home residents.