Carrying iconic signs reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march with Memphis sanitation workers 50 years ago, striking workers from Christian Care Home in Ferguson joined the MLK Day march on January 15 as their labor dispute entered its seventh week.
The strikers joined the march to invoke Dr. King’s economic justice legacy and to demand dignity and respect by using signs proclaiming “I Am A Woman,” “I Am A Man,” “Union Justice Now!” and “I Am A Striking Worker,” and King’s historic Poor People’s Campaign.
Brenda Davis, shop steward on the picket line, said mediation requested by the nursing home on Thursday, January 11 resulted in movement on behalf of some workers the union alleged were unjustly terminated or suspended. Of the union’s 11 grievances, she said they are close to resolving a few.
“We still have paperwork to look through and answers to hear back from,” she said.
One big question that remains unanswered is what will happen to replacement workers hired after the strike began on December 1.
“We asked them if we made a deal and wanted to return, what would they do with the workers that are there since they sent us a letter that we are permanently replaced?” Davis told The American. “They told us they would let us know. We haven’t heard anything yet.”
Workers have filed multiple unfair labor practice charges against Christian Care Home for allegedly making unilateral changes to staffing, hours and schedules, failing to answer grievances, cancelling scheduled bargaining meetings and not being available for bargaining, failing to provide relevant information in a timely manner, and otherwise restricting workers in the exercise of their rights.
More recently, workers have alleged that Christian Care Home threatened recent hires with termination for joining the strike and denied accrued and earned benefits to striking employees. The union said the National Labor Relations Board is investigating.
