Long-Term Care Workers to Protest Cuts at Maxville Manor

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT: Information picket about cuts to care hours

WHEN: Friday, May 15, 2020, 12:30 p.m.

WHO: Personal support workers at Maxville Manor

WHERE: 80 Mechanic Street West, Maxville, Ont.

MAXVILLE, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Representatives of 138 long-term care workers will hold an information picket on Friday, May 15, to let citizens know about the serious cuts to care hours at Maxville Manor in the village of Maxville, about 80 kilometres east of Ottawa.

Personal support workers (PSWs), members of the United Steelworkers union (USW), are concerned that cuts in hours are coming at a time when long-term care is in a crisis and vulnerable residents are at risk as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While turnover and an apparent inability to hire qualified staff are contributing to the crisis, the cuts amount to eliminating the equivalent of four full-time workers at the facility and are a violation of the workers’ collective agreement, cutting PSW hours while retaining lower-paid, less-qualified resident support assistants.

Workers participating in the information picket will wear masks and practice physical distancing, with no more than five workers on the information line at any one time.

USW represents 225,000 men and women working in every sector of Canada’s economy.