Beaver County

‘Our patients have our backs’: Therapists at Brighton Rehab and Wellness ready to strike

BEAVER, Pa. — Therapists at Brighton Rehab are ready to strike. Channel 11 first told you last week that the recently formed union had voted to authorize a strike.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Therapists at Brighton Rehab and Wellness set to strike starting May 6

Wednesday, union members spoke outside the rehab center and told the assembled media that nothing has changed. They plan to strike on May 6.

“After six months of negotiations, the economics of the deal aren’t even at the baseline of the original contract we decided to strike because of,” therapist Steve Gaviglia said.

The strike is set to last nine days. Workers say they want to send a message without leaving patients in the lurch.

“In no way, shape or form are we abandoning our patients. Our patients have our backs,” said one of the union’s negotiators, Alysia Franitti.

Congressman Chris Deluzio is supporting the union members. He released a statement to Channel 11 Wednesday saying in part, “I call on Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center to do the right thing and return to the bargaining table ready to discuss fair wage increases for its hardworking therapist staff members.”

Channel 11 reached out to Brighton Rehab and received the following statement:

We remain incredibly disappointed that the therapists union is continuing to negotiate in bad faith and engage in unfair labor practices with its plans to strike in an unlawful manner.

In this instance, the laws are clear – any union bargaining for its initial contract must provide 30 days’ notice to state and federal mediation services regarding a dispute so that we may use a neutral mediator to help bridge any gaps prior to issuing a 10-day notice of intent to strike. The union failed to do this from the onset of negotiations and is deliberately attempting to circumvent these laws to the detriment of its members and most importantly, the seniors and families at our facility.

Regardless of these efforts, over the past few months we have continued to make generous wage offers that meet, and in some cases exceed, what their counterparts in other facilities are receiving. This includes the highest wages the facility has ever offered despite the financial difficulties the industry and our facility continue to face. While we will remain committed to negotiating and look forward to our next session scheduled for May 9, the union has refused all offers so far and is choosing to abandon their responsibility to provide care to the seniors and families at our facility.

However, we are pleased to say that our residents and their families should rest assured knowing we have contingency plans in place to ensure that our high-quality patient-centered care will be unaffected. We remain 100% covered with highly qualified, professional staff. We hope that we can come to a fair and amicable agreement as soon as possible to ensure our teams and our residents continue to receive the exceptional care and support they deserve.

“Our job is the kinetic fiber of this building. We are just as important as anyone else. We just want our voice heard,” therapist Laura Vorrias said.

The next bargaining session is set for May 9, three days after the strike will begin.

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