Last week, plans for a strike at some Detroit area nursing homes was avoided because of a restraining order and actions by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
1,600 nursing home workers organized by SEIU Healthcare Michigan had planned to walk off the job demanding higher wages and more help, claiming their facilities operate short-staffed.
While One Detroit has not heard back from the operators for comment, we did hear from one nursing home worker who has been on the job for more than 20 years.
Lisa Elliott, also a steward with SEIU, said among those she’s seen die of COVID-19 at her Saint Clair Shores nursing home was her favorite resident.
Many of her co-workers have been infected but most have recovered.
The issue for Elliott and her colleagues as front-line workers is better pay. Trained as a certified nursing assistant she’s earning $15.50 per hour.
Meanwhile she said it’s hard to find other workers to do the work she’s dedicated her life to and her nursing home does not have enough people to operate properly.
Hear more of her story including her perspective of how COVID-19 was handled where she works in this interview with One Detroit’s Bill Kubota.
