First-Ever Study Links Strong Voice on the Job to Better Quality Nursing Home Care
Study shows better problem reporting, less serious violations where workers have a voice on the job
(Los Angeles, CA) In the first study of its kind, researchers found that allowing workers a strong voice on the job improves nursing home care quality. The study, published in this month’s Journal of Aging and Health, analyzed data from nursing facilities across California.
"We found that allowing workers to have a voice on the job appears to enhance problem reporting while, especially in stronger union environments, it may reduce the incidence of serious quality violations," said James Swan, PhD, the study’s lead author.
One possible reason for these results is that workers who have formed a union are less afraid to speak up on the job, and can negotiate over key factors that improve care such as staffing levels, training, and pay and benefits that help retain qualified caregivers.
“For 30 years I’ve worked in nursing homes on the frontline at my patient’s bedside everyday, and I know better than anyone what my patients need,” said Eloise Reese-Burns, a Certified Nursing Assistant at Cottonwood Health Care Center in Woodland, and a member of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “Before we organized a union, we didn’t feel as safe in bringing concerns about our patients to management. Since we formed a union, we’re not afraid to use our voice to advocate for our patients. It’s still a work in progress – we’re still struggling to get staffing up to the level our patients need, but now we have a voice and a process, and our patients are definitely better off because of it.”
SEIU nursing home members are also working closely with senior advocacy groups to ensure better staffing and care.
“When nursing home workers have a real say in working conditions, it’s better for residents and caregivers,” said Gary Passmore, executive director of the Congress of California Seniors.
More than 13,700 California nursing home workers have voted to form a union with SEIU for a real say in resident care and working conditions. In 2006, more than 6,300 SEIU nursing home members won raises of $2.50 an hour, improvements to health insurance costs, and a training fund to help pay for classes and certifications.
Read more about the study at the Journal of Aging and Health »
Read more about how SEIU nursing home members in California are fighting for better resident care »
Issues
- Safe Staffing in Nursing Homes
- Ensuring Quality Home Care
- Protecting Medicaid
- Workforce Shortage
- Home and Community-Based Care
- Long Term Care Reform
Aging in America
In 2008, baby boomers qualify for Social Security. Unless legislators make dramatic changes, health care and retirement costs threaten to bankrupt the nation. More »
