Nursing home employees go on strike for higher pay

VENICE — Employees at Bay Breeze Health and Rehabilitation Center in Venice, a facility run by Consulate Health Care, began a 24-hour strike today as part of the National Day of Action for the Fight for $15.

Caregivers and employees at 19 Consulate nursing homes in Florida will strike for a higher minimum wage, a statement says. It could be the largest private sector health care strike in the Southeast in more than 10 years, according to the statement.

Employees of the nursing homes have advocated since last year for better conditions for the residents and workers, the statement says. They are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in Florida, which backs more than 25,000 nurses and health care workers statewide.

Consulate is the sixth-largest long-term care provider in the United States and the largest in Florida, the statement says. It operates more than 200 health centers in 21 states.