Union sets May 19 strike deadline at 51 nursing homes

Seeks to elevate starting worker pay to $25 per hour

by Keith M. Phaneuf
May 1, 2025 @ 12:30 pm

This story has been updated.

The state’s largest health care workers union on Thursday set a May 19 deadline for state officials to avert a strike involving about 5,700 caregivers at 51 nursing homes across Connecticut.

SEIU 1199NE is seeking to boost starting pay for workers to $25 per hour and, over several years, elevate most employees to about $30 per hour, said union president Rob Baril. But to make that happen, he added, the state will need to make a significant and long overdue investment in the industry.

After “almost 20 years of austerity,” Baril said, “you can’t solve the problems that exist for publicly funded workers with nickels and dimes. To make progress, it takes real money.”

Most nursing home workers currently earn between $18 and $22 per hour, and the union leader said some could earn more money working at McDonald’s.

FULL story: https://ctmirror.org/2025/05/01/ct-nursing-home-strike-seiu-1199/


Members of the Service Employees International Union rally on the north steps of the Capitol on May 1. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror