Employees of a senior living community in Seattle are calling on its owner to address what they call threats to workers’ rights and the care of residents.
During picketing scheduled for Oct. 10 at Aegis Ravenna on 15th Avenue Northeast, the employees planned to accuse Aegis Living of union-busting tactics and unfair labor practices. The union workers, members of SEIU 775, also claimed that understaffing and low wages contribute to staff turnover and compromise the care of residents.
The Aegis Ravenna workers organized under SEIU in March 2023 but are without a contract after 20 months of negotiations, the union said.
In formal statements, Aegis Living has said it seeks to “foster a strong and unified team environment.”
In 2021, Aegis Living settled a $16 million class-action lawsuit with Washington and California residents of its communities who claimed the company was misleading about staffing levels and violated consumer protection and elder abuse laws.
Aegis, founded in 1997, operates 39 assisted-living and memory-care communities in Washington, California, and Nevada. The Washington locations are in King County.