The transition from Guardian Elder Care to Oxford Valley Health has led to new contract talks at 10 regional nursing homes.
So far, the transfer of ownership does not affect two local nursing homes: Belair in Lower Burrell and Oak Hill in Greensburg. Those remain, at least for now, under Guardian ownership.
Over the summer, Guardian, the parent company of the skilled nursing facilities, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the filing, Guardian announced the company would lease 10 of its skilled nursing facilities to Oxford Valley Health of New Jersey. The statement said the targeted transaction closing date is Oct. 14.
The Service Employees International Union, which represents employees at the facilities, began negotiations for a new contract after Oxford Valley announced it would not honor the previous contract from Guardian.
Oxford Valley did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
“They really haven’t said much of anything — just that they don’t agree with the current contract,” said Genea McCartney, a licensed practical nurse working at Waynesburg Healthcare and Rehab Center and the president of the union for the Waynesburg location.
Oxford Valley met with the union’s bargaining committee Monday afternoon, said McCartney. She has worked at the Waynesburg location for the past 24 years.
“(Monday) we didn’t make any headway,” McCartney said. “We’re just pretty much at a standstill.”
She said the main two points they’re asking for is competitive wages that can retain and recruit a skilled care workforce and quality health insurance with low costs. McCartney represents around 110 employees who work at the Waynesburg facility.
“The owners aren’t agreeing to the standards of care that we already have in place that we worked for years to build,” McCartney said. “If they’re not going to agree with the standards that we already have in place, then how are we going to know if they’re going to take good care of these residents?”
McCartney said she wasn’t able to get into specifics because the union is actively bargaining with the company. She said Oxford Valley is looking at two different plans for employee insurance, neither of which are the desired plan for employees.
“None of us want to strike, but we want a fair contract and to be able to provide care to our residents” McCartney said. “We will do whatever it takes to get a fair contract and to be able to provide for our residents.”
“We will continue to bargain until the last God given second to try to avoid a strike”
She said the health center she works in already is facing a “staffing crisis” and opting for the contract that Oxford Valley is recommending will not attract more workers.
McCartney said there are around 20 members on the bargaining board. She said there’s usually two people from each location that serve as representatives of union members at their location.
SEIU Healthcare represents about 700 employees across the facilities affected by the transfer.
“None of us want to go backward,” McCartney said. “We want to continue to improve the industry and make it a better environment for workers and for residents. We just want a fair wage and fair insurance to draw more people into the field.”
Haley Daugherty is a TribLive reporter covering local politics, feature stories and Allegheny County news. A native of Pittsburgh, she lived in Alabama for six years. She joined the Trib in 2022 after graduating from Chatham University. She can be reached at hdaugherty@triblive.com.
