Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden cancels health coverage for striking employees

RICHMOND, Va. — Striking employees of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden are being removed from the nonprofit's healthcare plan, according to a letter from the garden.

Lewis Ginter wrote to CBS 6:

"The law does not require employers to continue paying wages or unaccrued benefits to striking workers who are not actively working. Earlier this summer, the Garden informed employees on multiple occasions that medical benefits could be affected by a strike. The strike began on September 2nd, and the Garden continued medical benefits through the end of September. The Garden was hopeful the strike would end before suspending the employer-paid portion of inactive employees’ benefits."

Lewis Ginter writes that striking employees who are full-time and have benefits would not be paid for them as of Thursday, October 1, "since they are inactive employees."

All active employees are still receiving the employer-paid portion of their benefits.

In a statement, Laura Lee Folman said on behalf of the striking employees:

“It’s now been one month since Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s dedicated, talented employees first walked out on strike, and instead of sitting down at the bargaining table to negotiate with us in good faith - as he is legally required to do - Lewis Ginter’s CEO’s response has been instead to continue his retaliation against us by stripping healthcare coverage for us and our families with four days notice. Lewis Ginter pays us poverty wages so low we cannot afford basic necessities, and nearly all of us have or currently do face food and housing insecurity. Responding to Lewis Ginter’s highly skilled and committed employees asking that our jobs pay us enough to live on by ripping away our ability to get life-saving prescriptions and daily medications we and our families rely on flies in the face of every value Lewis Ginter and our larger Richmond community stands for.”

While they are on strike, employees may elect to continue coverage through COBRA, according to the garden.

Watch our previous coverage here.