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

BEAVER, Pa. — The union representing therapists at Brighton Rehab and Wellness has voted to strike starting on May 6.

This is the first contract negotiation for the group that unionized last year.

“All we want them to do is sit down with us so that we can negotiate a good contract in good faith. Give us fair wages so we can take care of the patients that we love,” Alysia Franitti said. She’s a physical therapist assistant and is on the bargaining team. “We’ve been bargaining for seven months as of May 1.”

She and her fellow therapists unionized after moving from contract to in-house workers. Union reps tell Channel 11 they’ve gone years without a raise and were denied hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are hands-on with the patients. When I transfer a patient, I’m hugging them. I’m in their face,” Franitti said.

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

“We are saddened to receive a strike notice by the therapists union despite our generous wage offers and continued efforts to find common ground. Since the beginning of the year, we have met on a monthly basis with the union and proposed a number of new pay packages, including the highest wages in our history. The union has continuously refused these offers. Although some employees are choosing to abandon the seniors and families here beginning May 6, thankfully, we have strong contingency plans in place to ensure that we remain 100% covered and our high-quality patient-centered care will not be affected. We have a long tradition of supporting and rewarding the hard work our dedicated front-line staff and hope that we can come to a fair and amicable agreement to ensure our teams and our residents continue to receive the exceptional care and support they deserve.”

- Facility management at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center

The strike is set to begin on May 6. The next bargaining session isn’t scheduled until May 9.

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