Employees at the Mercy Home for Children, a health facility for disabled New Yorkers, rallied on Thursday to push their employer to finalize a contract and raise wages.
About two dozens caregivers working at the facility on the border of Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant picketed in the heat to fight for fair wages, union officials said.
The staff have been working without a contract for over 18 months. The frontline workers, members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, support children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We are fighting for fair wages," said Nadine Johnson, a medical direct support professional who has worked at Mercy Home for 23 years. "Rent, gas, electricity and everything is rising. We work so hard, we're so dedicated, and we really show up, but why can't we get a decent raise for all our hard work?"
Mercy Home, a nonprofit that runs both residential and day programs, has repeatedly rejected modest wage increases for staff, union officials said. Workers say they deserve an income that allows them to keep up with the cost of living so they can continue caring for New Yorkers.
During the snowstorms earlier this year, some employees worked four to five shifts back-to-back, said Mona Ford, an overnight direct support professional who has worked at Mercy Home for over 20 years.
"We sometimes spend more time with our individuals than our own families, because some individuals don’t have anyone else but the staff," Ford said. "This work is not about the money, but we need some help from management. We cannot spend love at the grocery store."
