For the second time in six months, workers from Sunharbor Manor nursing home in Roslyn Heights held an "informational" picket outside of the establishment on 255 Warner Avenue.

The demonstration took place Friday, Feb. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. About 75 workers from District 115 of the Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO were part of the picket line.

Neil Gonsolvo, a representative from the union, said the workers were demonstrating for a new contract, wage increases, and for a greater voice in how the nursing home makes the staffing levels and patient-to-worker ratios.

According to Jay Sackman, president of the union, the workers were also protesting a "two-tier system" of care and wages that they contend has emerged in some Long Island nursing homes.

Union officials claim that one group of homes provides proper staffing levels and pays their workers a "fair wage." The other group, which union officials single out as Intercounty Homes, has "inferior caregiver" to resident staffing ratios and pays its workers 16 percent less in annual wages and benefits.

"Our members do everything to ensure that the residents at these homes receive the best possible care," said Mr. Sackman. "But the Intercounty owners are more interested in increasing their profits than in the dignity of the care-givers they employ and the residents who rely on those care-givers."

Union officials noted that Intercounty, in 1995, asked the union to take wage and benefit cuts because they claimed they were experiencing financial losses. But union officials also claim that Intercounty homes made $10.5 million in profits off of revenue largely generated from tax-financed Medicaid and Medicare programs.

Intercounty is a heath care facility located in Manhasset. Personnel there had no comment on the demonstration, but instead referred the Roslyn News to Sunharbor itself. A spokesman at Sunharbor said the picketing was solely about labor negotiations taking place between his establishment and the workers and as such, no public response to the demonstration was necessary.

On Feb. 12, demonstrations also took place at health care facilities in Glen Cove, Huntington, Plainview, Port Jefferson, and St. James. District 1115 officials said they have been in negotiations with Intercounty since October, 1998 concerning staffing, wage and benefit issues.

In July 1998, up to 150 Sunharbor workers picketed the building. This rally had nothing to do with Intercounty; instead, the workers were demanding that Sunharbor replace full-time workers with new employees also working at full-time hours. At the rally, some demonstrators claimed that they had been working part-time for up to eight years without receiving a promotion. At the time, Sunharbor personnel had no comment on the rally.