Activists, Fired Worker Protest Poor Resident Care and Working Conditions at Atria Senior Living During Annual Senior Housing Conference (version 2)

Adeyemi was targeted and fired from Atria after attempting to help workers form a union at Atria West Side in Manhattan, New York. Adeyemi was earning around $9 an hour at the time, and had received several positive reviews from supervisors for excellent work.

"There are a lot of problems at Atria. I stood up for my residents, and for my co-workers and our right to form a union. Then Atria fired me. Now I want some answers," said Adeyemi.

At $9-10 an hour, many Atria workers take home little more than $300 a week. Workers also report that Atria's healthcare costs around $240 a month, which is well out of reach for most.

"I worked hard and did a good job. All I wanted was a better life for myself and for the residents. Workers aren't asking to make six figures. All we ask is to be given decent, fair wages that don't force us to choose between paying for train fare and covering the co-payment at the doctor's office. All we want is to have enough staff to give the residents what they need," said Adeyemi.

Workers like Jojo at Atria facilities across the country have been struggling to form a union, speaking out for better resident care and working conditions. But workers say Atria management is standing in the way by threatening, harassing and retaliating against workers.

Atria is owned by a private equity fund affiliated with Lazard, the powerhouse Wall Street bank. Many of the investors in the Lazard-affiliated fund that owns Atria are pension funds, managing billions in worker retirement assets in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The "Atria fund" has consistently underperformed and has even lost millions since its inception in 1998.

Lazard and Atria have been under fire over the past several years for mismanagement. Atria Senior Living has been accused of violating workers' civil rights, cited by state authorities for serious resident care problems, and Atria has even been targeted in New York and California with legislation aimed at curbing their skyrocketing rents. Investors in this fund have previously organized themselves to hold Lazard accountable for problems.

Today's action is just the latest in a series of protests by workers, family members and others who are trying to hold Atria Senior Living management and owners more accountable. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, SEIU Healthcare and The Campaign to Improve Assisted Living launched an effort to call on the pension funds that own Atria to hold Lazard more accountable to investors and working families. Activists launched their campaign outside the State of Wisconsin Investment Board's monthly meeting and will continue their protests during upcoming meetings of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System later this month.

More at www.improveassistedliving.org/who-owns-atria-senior-living/