This March, an SEIU delegation traveled to Japan to address the Carlyle Group's recent acquisition of four Tokyo nursing homes. The delegation met with nursing home owners, investment bankers, Japanese labor unions, and others to discuss Carlyle's expansion into the Japanese long-term care system.
Private equity buyout firm ownership is a relatively new concept in Japanese senior care, and the Japanese representatives the delegation met with were eager to learn of the US experience. SEIU's delegation shared its concerns about whether workers in the US will be able to have a real voice at Manor Care and will have the staffing and resources they need to provide the highest quality care, especially after the Carlyle buyout. In turn, two Japanese labor unions offered the delegation the opportunity to tour local nursing homes, which they believe are operating well. If Carlyle-owned nursing homes in Japan can work together with union members on issues related to care and quality jobs, why is workers' fight for a real voice on these issues so much harder here at home?

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