PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After working for more than a month without a contract, caregivers at the Delaware County-run Fair Acres Geriatric Center have approved a new deal.
Ninety-nine percent of caregivers in Fair Acres United — a local of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) — voted earlier this week to ratify a new one-year contract. The 165 frontline nurses, social workers and dietitians will get 2% raises over the next year.
They will also avoid significant increases to their health care costs and reductions in short-term disability coverage.
“Our main sticking point was keeping our health care package the same,” said union Vice President Airresha Bush. “There were a lot of changes financially they were trying to change in the contract.”
Keeping those health care benefits was crucial because workers are paid less at Fair Acres compared to counterparts at other companies, Bush said.
“We took the cut and getting paid less because the benefits are better than most companies offer,” she added.
Bush said she’s cautiously optimistic about the future.
“The one year is enough for us to regroup and get together with what we want to move forward with next year,” she said. “At the end of this contract, they’re going to come back trying to make changes to health care and the disability.”
KYW Newsradio has reached out to the county for comment.
Caregivers were working without a contract for more than a month
Caregivers were working without a contract for more than a month
