Boulder assisted living home workers file to form union

BOULDER — Workers at the MorningStar Assisted Living Facility in Boulder have begun the process of unionizing after alleging their management has put them at heavy risk of contracting COVID-19.

SEIU spokesman Dave Fernandez told BizWest that the union would encompass about 60 employees, from direct care staff to kitchen workers and other non-management roles. The date for an official election has yet to be determined, but the U.S. National Labor Relations Board is expected to review the petition around the end of this month.

MorningStar is a Denver-based chain of senior living homes with a total of 25 properties across the western U.S. and Iowa. It has 10 in Colorado, including one in Fort Collins, six in the Denver metro area and two in Colorado Springs, in addition to Boulder.

Fernandez said the union is looking to increase wages as most workers there make the minimum wage and is demanding better personal protective equipment after state health officials declared three COVID-19 outbreaks in MorningStar facilities in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas in recent months.

According to state data, 77 residents tested positive for COVID-19 and 27 have died, while 35 staffers tested positive with no fatalities. Fernandez said the workers there have been asked to reuse medical-grade masks for an entire week instead of the recommended one to two uses.

“They’re lucky at that specific facility that it didn’t have a serious outbreak or a more serious situation, but they’re worried from seeing other facilities and worried for their residents,” he said.

In a statement sent to BizWest on July 20, MorningStar said UCFW had made several errors or mischaracterizations of its facilities, saying it has executed a COVID prevention plan, including having large supplies of PPE on hand and using a deep disinfectant in all its facilities. It also said it has given a $2 to $4 per hour raise to workers in COVID-impacted communities and plans to give all of its staff up to a $4 per hour raise.

The company said it expects workers to reject the union when it comes to a vote.

© 2020 BizWest Media LLC

Editor’s note: this story previously said Morningstar is a non-profit entity. It has since been corrected to remove that designation.

on Facebook on LinkedIn