Nurses at a nursing home in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood have walked out in protest over a pay dispute with the facility’s new ownership. The nurses claim that Aliya Healthcare, which manages the Ryze West nursing facility, has been causing major issues with their pay. According to the nurses, they were promised payment by Aliya Healthcare but have yet to receive their money.
The nurses allege that ever since Aliya took over in June, they have faced ongoing problems with receiving their paychecks on time. In the last pay period, the nurses claim they did not receive their pay at all, and in the most recent pay period, the company took back their money, citing a clerical issue. Frustrated by these ongoing payment problems, some of the nurses have chosen to walk off the job.
Victoria Anderson, a licensed practical nurse, has decided to quit her job due to the payment issues. She expressed her frustration, saying, They were supposed to directly deposit our payroll on Wednesday, June 21st, and nobody, not even the administrator, addressed us or anything.
Dorothy Kirkwood, another nurse at the facility, emphasized the importance of timely payment, stating, Don’t pay us when you feel like it. My bills have to be paid; I have to pay rent, insurance, the light bill, and my gas bill.
Jimeka Green, who visited her uncle at Ryze West, witnessed the frustrated nurses refusing to work out of protest. Green shared, We came up here to visit my uncle earlier today, and we walked into a situation where the staff wasn’t working. They were refusing to work because they didn’t get paid and didn’t want to work for free.
ABC7 has attempted to reach out to Aliya Healthcare for comment but has not received a response. The Illinois Department of Public Health stated that they had not received any reports of staffing issues but are now investigating the matter.
In order to provide a balanced view, it is crucial to consider multiple perspectives on the topic. Both the nurses and Aliya Healthcare should be given an opportunity to present their sides of the story.
