Care Workers Win Big at Diversicare Pell City: A First Contract Full of Respect and Rights with RWDSU Mid-South Council
When the dedicated staff at Diversicare Pell City in Alabama joined the RWDSU Mid‑South Council earlier this year, they knew they were taking a bold step into the fight for justice and recognition. What they didn’t know yet was that milestone would soon become a contract victory defined by dignity, fairness, and real value.
Marisol Urena-Gonzalez, RWDSU Mid-South Council Vice President and Business Representitive and Ms. Evans a Diversicare Med-Tech, who we started the organizing campaign at the care center.
These nursing home workers, those who feed, comfort, and care for some of Alabama’s most vulnerable residents, have now ratified their first-ever union contract, and it delivers in every sense. For the first time, they secured:
Substantial wage increases across the board, including higher pay for encore shifts.
Expanded paid time off benefits, including new paid holidays, guaranteed vacation requests, payouts for unused leave, and guaranteed bereavement days for close family and more.
For caregiving RWDSU members, many of whom have worked under low pay, long hours, and limited scheduling security, this contract is more than pay – it’s respect. It recognizes their essential work and gives them a seat at the bargaining table too.
Organizing in the South comes with challenges: weak union support, employer resistance, and anti-union rhetoric. But the workers at Diversicare Pell City stood strong, winning their union election, and are now building a better future through collective bargaining.
As Randy Hadley, President of the RWDSU Mid‑South Council, said when they won their union election, “workers in the South are told every day that they don’t have power, but these nursing home workers just proved otherwise. They stood together, demanded more, and won.”
This contract reminds us why unionizing matters, it's not just about wages or benefits, but the dignity of having a voice and the power to demand fair treatment.
“This contract is proof that organizing works, even in tough conditions brings real change,” said Allen Gregory, Secretary-Treasurer of the RWDSU Mid-South Council. “These workers took a stand not just for better wages, but for dignity on the job, and they won. This is how we build power in the South.”