State Sen. James Maroney (D-Milford) affirmed his support April 15 for nurses and all other nursing home employees who announced they will be going on strike on May 1 if their demands for better salaries and nursing home staffing level increases are not included in the state’s budget.
Nurses with the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199 Service Employees International Union held a press conference Monday to formally announce the impending strike if an agreement is not reached. Maroney said the state must find a way to ensure the necessary funds are available to take care of them.
“I am proud to stand by the 1199 SEIU and nursing home employees across the state,” Maroney said. “We must take care of the people who work long hours to provide care for our loved ones. In addition to better salaries for our nurses, addressing the issue of staffing levels is imperative to taking care of our caretakers. Nurses are tasked with working without sufficient staffing assistance far too often. This burns nurses out and compromises the care our loved ones receive. This impacts all of us and it is why I fully support legislation to increase nursing home staffing levels. We all must stand with our caregivers and find a way to get this done for them.”
Maroney has given his support to Senate Bill 375, “An Act Concerning Nursing Home Facility Minimum Staffing Levels,” which will ensure nursing homes are not short-staffed and can provide each resident with care. It will also require that nursing homes disclose the actual number of direct care staff providing care to residents and that they make this information accessible to patients’ families in an accurate and understandable manner.