[June 1, 2016] OAKLAND, Calif. – Thirty-eight nursing home workers from the Bay Area who were fired after going on strike in 2010 must have their jobs restored and be reimbursed for lost earnings, according to a ruling issued yesterday by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“Low-wage workers stood up for their patients and their families’ economic security, and for that this extremist employer tried to punish us,” said Sanjanette Fowler, a former Piedmont Gardens employee fired as part of the strike. “We refused to give up and six years later we received justice. Let this ruling be a message to employers everywhere that healthcare workers won’t give up, and now it’s time for Piedmont Gardens to obey the law and honor this decision.”

The NLRB ruling said the Oakland facility violated federal law by firing the employees for staging a sanctioned, five-day strike in August 2010. According to the decision and order, Piedmont Gardens “wanted to teach the strikers and the union a lesson,” and hired permanent replacement workers to avoid future strikes.

Piedmont Gardens has 14 days to comply with the ruling, which was initiated by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the union representing workers at the time of the strike.