FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Service Employees International Union 1199 New England said that union caregivers at two nursing homes took part in informational pickets on Wednesday. Nursing home workers at Carvalho Grove in Fall River and Country Gardens in Swansea have been negotiating with their employer, Alpha Healthcare, for the past three months. The union said that negotiations have not produced any commitments from management and that staff have been working double shifts to cover shortages. “As soon as Alpha Healthcare bought our facility, we experienced all sorts of problems with payroll – paychecks were late or bounced and those issues are still happening almost one year later,” Registered Nurse Dawn Nunes said. “We are still chronically understaffed and are being mandated to cover vacancies that have existed since the pandemic.” ABC 6 News has reached out to Alpha Healthcare and is awaiting a response. Categories: Massachusetts, News