More on Florida CCRC’s Struggle with State Regulators — and Workers

Earlier this week, I reported on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s actions affecting University Village, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in west Florida.  Additional events are now coming to the surface in media reports, including turmoil with employees over salary and benefits:

Workers from the Nursing Center at University Village made a lot of noise walking a picket line, protesting salary caps and reductions in benefits. This labor unrest comes while the new owners of University Village, Westport Holdings of Tampa, struggle to stop the state from yanking their license and shutting them down.

 

Health care workers represented by the Service Employees International Union are protesting working without a contract since December. Westport Holdings claims through the years the University Village nursing center was overly generous to its employees, and it’s time to reel in costs.

 

“What do they consider to be generous? I’ve been working with them for over 20 years and I haven’t seen $20 an hour yet,” Scott said.

 

Management wants to cap salaries and reduce health care benefits. It contends workers at University Village are paid more than employees at other local facilities.

For more, see News Channel 8’s report on Employees Protest Benefit Cuts at Embattled Hillsborough Retirement Community.