A group of nursing home workers went on strike Thursday in Hernando County to fight for a higher minimum wage.

  • Employees at Spring Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center went on strike for one day
  • Workers are demanding higher a minimum wage
  • Strike is part of Fight for $15's national day of action

The caregivers said they aren't being treated fairly, so they decided to shake things up. Their message was clear: They want to be paid more money.

"We give all that we can to take care of Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, brother, sister," said Eileen O'Connor, a certified nursing assistant.

O'Connor said living on the money she makes as a CNA is not easy.

"I’m a single mother raising two children," she said. "I struggle paycheck to paycheck paying my bills. I have gone to food pantries just to make sure I have food in my house."

O'Connor is one of several people who work at Spring Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center. She, along with other CNAs, housekeepers and food service workers, recently went on strike because they want a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

They plan to strike for 24 hours. They started at 7 a.m. Thursday and will wrap up the strike Friday at 7 a.m.

Strikes like this are going on in other parts of the Bay area, around the state and around the nation as part of the movement called Fight for $15. The movement held a day of action Thursday to rally for the higher minimum wage.

Danielle Taylor, a health care worker, hopes the day of action will help bring about change.

"The cost of living has gone up, and our pay rate hasn’t gone up in 10 years," she said.

"We believe in what we are fighting for in the long run, plain and simple," O'Connor said.

The company that owns Spring Hill Health and Rehabilitation says their patients are not affected by the strike. They also say they are disappointed but are working toward a resolution.

Their statement:

"While we are disappointed in the union’s decision to strike, the continuity of patient and resident care will remain unaffected thanks to the combined efforts of our dedicated staff and compassionate fellow care center volunteers. We will continue to work in good faith, as we have always done, towards a resolution."