More money demanded to pay nursing home workers in North Ft Myers and statewide

Higher wages and better working conditions: that's what these United Healthcare Workers were demanding on Thursday, if they're going to provide quality healthcare to their nursing home residents.

The facilities this group was picketing included Aspire in North Fort Myers. They said they love the job, but with the rising cost of living… it's become unrealistic.

Hear the changes demonstrators told FOX 4's Bella Line they wanted.

"The pay here is not the same amount like the costs of living is right now," said Emilia Gimenez, an Aspire healthcare worker.

Gimenez has worked at Aspire for 17 years and says she would love to continue to work there, but living in southwest Florida has just become too expensive.

"After the pandemic, a lot of people left they found another job, we stayed here," said Gimenez. "Our contract expired and that company doesn't want you to do anything with us."

It's a statewide problem.

The United Healthcare Workers East union group is coming together across the state of Florida on Thursday to demand change for high wages, safer working conditions, and more staffing.

DeQuasia Canales, Vice President of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East , says they had been bargaining for 6 months and the deadline is already up. However, that's not stopping them from speaking up

"Our hope is to get a bargaining date sooner rather than later, especially since the last session that they had they only put 2% as an increase on the table, which for most people will be between 20 cents and 30 cents an hour," said Canales.

Canales says, that right now some of these nursing home healthcare workers are making $12.50 an hour. That's $26,000 a year.

"The staff here is like their family and if you have a high turnover rate to nursing homes, imagine what that would do to one of your loved ones," said Canales.

So far, the Aspire Health Group has not responded to FOX 4's requests to hear their side of the story.