Jessica Saggio

FLORIDA TODAY

Nursing home workers at two facilities in Brevard have plans to go on strike for 24 hours starting April 14.

Certified nursing assistants at Vista Manor in Titusville and The Palms Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Palm Bay say enough is enough when it comes to negotiating wages and they've been pushed to the point of striking. Employees say they are hoping to increase wages to $15 per hour for CNA positions.

Both facilities are part of a bigger umbrella company, Consulate Health Care, which responded on behalf of Vista Manor and The Palms. The company has more than 200 health care centers in 21 states. Nineteen of those facilities are in Florida, employing about 1,100 nursing home workers. Workers are able to join 1199 SEIU Florida union, which is backing the strike.

Jennifer Trapp, Consulate Health Care vice president of corporate communications, released a statement on behalf of the company Tuesday:

"We remain committed to negotiating fairly and in the best interest of our employees, while maintaining our focus on providing the highest quality care possible to our residents. Despite the potential of a strike, our care center operations will remain unaffected, as resident and patient care continues to be our primary focus."

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The strikes will take place outside the facilities for a 24-hour period, said Bridget Montgomery, a CNA from Vista Manor.

It's a wage discrepancy, she said. CNAs must have schooling and credentials and they still make low wages, she said, adding that starting pay at Vista Manor is $8.75 an hour.

"We’re actually making less than some fast food workers and we’re making less than some grocery store workers," said Montgomery.

In Florida, minimum wage is $8.05.

CNAs take care of the elderly in their facilities emotionally, physically and spiritually, she said.

"To me, it's not just a fight for Consulate workers. To me, it's just taking away the American dream. A lot of Americans don’t want to deal with politics, they just want to work and take care of their families and, most importantly, pay their bills and pay them on time," said Montgomery. "With the wages are now, people can't afford that and I believe $15 can actually bring that dream back to some."

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Rochelle Salcedo, a CNA at The Palms, said she decided to work with the elderly because she considers it a "calling from God." At The Palms since 2001, Salcedo said she's almost making $15 but many of her colleagues are not.

"I’m making 50 cents less than $15 and I’m still struggling," she said. "But what about those people that are making $8 and $9? It inspired me to go on strike in support of it."

The strike will take place at all 19 Consulate Health Care facilities throughout the state and will intentionally begin a day before National Fight for 15 Day (April 15). Workers across the United States in a variety of industries have been pushing to raise the minimum wage to $15.

Contact Saggio at 321-242-3664, JSaggio@FloridaToday.com or follow @JessicaJSaggio on Twitter. Instagram: JessicaJSaggio Snapchat: JuhJuhJuh