Health care workers authorize strike in La Porte
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Union employees at the Terrace Care Center nursing home in La Porte have voted to reject a proposed contract from Indianapolis-based Brickyard Healthcare and authorize a strike. The Teamsters Local 135 said on social media this week the dispute primarily revolves around concerns over health insurance.
Employees, including certified nurse aids, certified medication technicians, and specialist central supply workers organized with the union last year amid complaints over the company’s health care plan due to its purported low quality and high cost.
The union said it offered Brickyard Healthcare a union-sponsored health insurance plan through the Indiana Teamsters Health Benefits Fund.
However, according to Local 135 President Dustin Roach, Brickyard rejected the plan, with negotiators expressing concerns that more employees would opt into the plan rather than exploring other insurance options such as being on their parents’ plan, their spouses’ plan, or Medicaid.
“Healthcare workers deserve quality health insurance,” Roach said. “I don’t know what is more offensive: the fact that the workers who take care of our loved ones cannot access health insurance to take care of themselves, or that Brickyard openly prefers to shift the cost of employee benefits to other employers and the American taxpayer.”
A Brickyard representative declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday afternoon.
The union said it has reached out to Brickyard to request the company return to the negotiating table and address the insurance issue. Additionally, the union said it has requested assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help avoid a work stoppage.
“Brickyard has one more chance to do the right thing,” said Roach. “If Brickyard refuses to address its employees’ legitimate concerns, our members have made it clear that they will not hesitate to take their fight for a fair contract to the streets.”
Brickyard Healthcare has nearly two dozen facilities throughout Indiana. It was not immediately clear how many employees are union members.