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After losing their jobs, former employees of
four nursing facilities protest their firing.
Workers protest outside MediLodge of Southfield, formerly Menorah House.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter
r
or more than a week, former employees of
MediLodge of Southfield — formerly Menorah
House — have been protesting outside the facil-
ity on Greenfield Road to gain back jobs they lost June
24.
According to Mary K. Fredericks of Ferndale, business
representative for the Service-Employees International
Union (SEIU) Local 79 in Detroit, the protest began
June 28. It includes 150 individuals from four nursing
facilities owned by MediLodge Inc. All 150 were fired
on the same date. In addition to the 30 employed at the
212 - bed Southfield facility, the others, also members of
SEIU Local 79, worked at MediLodge of Royal Oak,
MediLodge of Rochester and MediLodge of Bloomfield
Hills. Employees are conducting protests at all sites.
"They had been negotiating a contract for higher
wages and better health benefits for the last four
months," Fredericks said.
When no settlement was reached, the group said it
discussed organizing a strike, to have begun on June 24.
"But they didn't strike," Fredericks said. "They all
showed up for work that day and were told they did not
have jobs."
The protesters include members of the housekeeping,
dietary and maintenance staffs as well as certified equiv-
alency nurses' aides. They were fired for engaging in
unlawful picket and strike activity held without notice
and with the intent to interrupt resident care, according
to a statement issued by labor counsel for MediLodge,
Patricia Nemeth of Nemeth Burwell in Detroit.
MediLodge also filed an unfair labor practice charge
with the National Labor Relations Board against the
SEIU for what they term "unlawful misconduct."
Nemeth's statement maintains that MediLodge's pri-
mary commitment is to the care of residents, that their
facilities continue to be fully staffed with appropriately
trained personnel and that there has been no notice of
any preventable medical problems at any of the
involved facilities.
"MediLodge regrets that these employees lost their
jobs due to the union's actions and continues to be
committed to the collective bargaining process," the
statement reads.
MediLodge is currently involved in collective bargain-
ing negotiations with the SEIU Local 79.
"We will continue to be here," Fredericks said. "This
is a protest to get their jobs back." O
Mary Fredericks, business representative for the
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Local 79 in Detroit, holds a protest poster.
JN
7/ 7
2005
25