Angels of Steel

Nursing Home Workers Fight for Fair Treatment, Quality Care

Even before she joined the USW, nursing home worker Desirae Beatty knew the power of a union. She had been unjustly discharged by her employer and had to fight to regain her job at the Kane Community Living Centers.

By the time she and her co-workers left their former union behind and became members of USW Local 9002 three years ago, Beatty was ready to gain the recognition, respect and powerful voice that come with being a Woman of Steel.

“We knew what can happen without a union,” Beatty said. “We knew what was taken away from us, and we knew we needed a union.”

Power in Numbers

The vote to make that happen, in January 2022, was remarkable in at least one way – out of approximately 500 members across the four county-run Kane Community Living Centers in western Pennsylvania, not one worker cast a “no” ballot.

“There is power in numbers,” Beatty said in recalling the unanimous support. “It was amazing to see how we all banded together.”

Workers coming together to support one another is one of the best things about her job at the Kane home in McKeesport, Pa., said Kelcee Aldridge, a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

“Everyone becomes family, the residents and the staff,” said Aldridge, who has worked at the Kane home for four years. “Some family can’t come in very often, but the residents have us.”

Family Atmosphere

The residents appreciate that family atmosphere as well, showing deep affection for the USW members who care for them, with some referring to their caregivers as “angels.”

“The nurses and aides are the best,” said resident Josephine Chappel, who leads the residents’ council at the McKeesport home and who herself had a 25-year career as a CNA.

For CNA Tracy Dodds, the family feeling runs deep, since her own mother is a resident at her facility where she works.

“I treat all my patients as if they were my parents,” said Dodds, a grievance officer for Local 9002 who has worked as a CNA for 24 years.

The four Kane Community Living Centers, which opened in 1958, provide both long- and short-term care to residents of Allegheny County. The centers range in size from 240 to 360 beds, with a total of about 1,050 residents across the entire system.

‘It Was Rough’

Dodds said that in the time between leaving their former union and becoming USW members, the workers had to endure a year without representation.

“It was rough,” she said. “We had no protection at all.”

In addition to showing the workers first-hand the difference a union can make, that yearlong ordeal brought the members closer together.

“It was exciting to get the union back,” Dodds said.

For housekeeper Kevin Patterson, who was a part-time worker for five years, joining the USW meant that he would receive fair wages after years of getting paid less per hour than full-timers doing the same work.

“The union said no, we don’t do that,” Patterson said. “They can’t get away with what they were doing before.”

Quality Care

Being a part of a union allows the workers not only to advocate for a better quality of life for themselves and their families, but also to make sure their patients get the quality care and attention they deserve, said food service worker Janine Gantt.

Gantt said she was one of several workers who received back pay and increased wages after years of working part time.

Member Wendy Mance was originally forced to take a pay cut when she shifted from nursing to working in the laundry. But being a member of the USW helped her change that, too.

“I felt like I was being punished,” Mance said. “The union pulled me right back up to where I was.”

Making sure all workers at the facility are held to the same standards – regardless of their job title or department – was one of the main reasons they wanted the union, said CNA Amy Yeager, recording secretary for the Kane unit.

“We want everyone to be treated fairly,” Yeager said.

Workers apply that same approach to their residents, making sure – in addition to their regular day-to-day duties – that residents have a gentle hand to hold when they need it, and a friendly face to help them through difficult days.

“It takes a special person to do this work,” said Dodds. “It’s a hard job, physically and mentally.”

Whether they work in the kitchen or the laundry, as groundskeepers, material handlers, recreation aides, CNAs or licensed practical nurses (LPNs), the USW members at the Kane Community Living Centers never stop fighting for their patients and their co-workers, Dodds said.

“I feel like my work is never done,” Dodds said. “This place is always with me.”

The work can often be emotionally and physically draining, Beatty said, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health issues like the past year’s flu outbreak, which was the worst in 15 years.

Still, workers say they take pride and satisfaction in knowing that the jobs they do make a difference in their patients’ day-to-day lives.

“I love to help people,” Dodds said.

Always Organizing

In addition to the workers at the Kane nursing facilities, Local 9002 also represents workers in the Allegheny County court system, and non-professional medical employees at the county jail.

In total, the USW represents about 650 workers employed by the county.

“We’re proud that these essential workers chose to become part of the USW,” said District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who represents about 50,000 members across Pennsylvania. “They joined us because they want the same treatment that all workers deserve – respect, dignity and a voice on the job. That is never more important than in a health care setting.” 

Unlike many of the union siblings in the private sector, the Kane workers and other public sector employees are not required to pay union dues thanks to the 2018 decision from the Supreme Court’s anti-union majority in the case of Janus vs. AFSCME.

That’s why Beatty and her fellow union leaders in Local 9002 consistently work to organize and energize their fellow members, to make sure they maintain the same level of pride in being part of the USW that they have in providing high-quality patient care.

Beatty said she never wants to see her co-workers return to the days of having no union protection.

“It’s amazing to see the difference when you have a union that fights for you,” Beatty said. “We know the power of the union.”