“Residents deserve continuity of care, not temporary agency workers who come and go.” - Dawn Nunes
Over 80% of the entire membership voted to picket to denounce Royal’s spending on agency staff at the expense of its own workforce. In 2025 alone, Country Gardens used over 20,000 hours of temporary agency staff, costing the facility an estimated $800,000. Carvalho Grove spent an estimated $200,000 on nearly 6,000 hours of temporary agency staff. In contrast, Royal is offering only a 2.5% wage increase to frontline staff, some of whom make only the state minimum wage.
The biggest question from staff is why they are spending a million dollars on agency staffing while longtime employees are only being offered pennies. It is hurtful and insulting to both staff and residents as we have not been offered a raise for years. Residents deserve continuity of care, not temporary agency workers who come and go. With the economy the way it is, people simply cannot afford to work here for these wages.
- Dawn Nunes, Registered Nurse at Country Gardens
We were initially excited when the receivership came in because we hoped paychecks would come regularly again, and that we would have the supplies and food we needed. While supplies have improved somewhat, we still run short, and there has been only minimal improvement in staffing. What’s more, Royal’s wage proposals are so low it’s embarrassing. Agency staff are not the ones holding the building together, it is the dedicated employees who have been here all along.
- Dawn Nunes, Registered Nurse at Country Gardens
Contact: Communications Office of SEIU 1199NE at 860-280-6443 or comms@seiu1199ne.org
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District 1199 SEIU New England represents 29,000 health care and service workers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts. In Rhode Island, 1199 SEIU NE represents 7,500 members.1199 SEIU NE is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – a union of over 2 million members across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.