-

CUPE 5525 Members Receive Support From the Ontario Nurses Association as Strike Drags on at Villa Colombo

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Striking workers from the Villa Colombo Supportive Housing Unit are thankful that their struggle isn’t going unnoticed by the wider labour movement. These personal care workers are members of CUPE 5525 and have been on the picket line since May 28th outside the care residences, operated by Villa Colombo Home for the Aged and Villa Charities at Dufferin and Lawrence.

The Ontario Nurses Association added their union to the growing list of supportive organizations, unions and community members, who want to see a fair deal for the members of CUPE 5525. In a letter addressed to the directors of Villa Colombo and Villa Charities, the ONA calls on the employer to end their use of scab labour and return to the table with an offer that respects the skill and dedication these workers bring to their roles.

“Rather than bargaining a fair deal, you are paying staffing agencies to provide scab labour at a higher rate than you pay your own workers. That is shameful and has resulted in sub-standard care in your homes. Your residents have shared their unhappiness with replacement workers who are not trained or certified to the standards of CUPE 5525 members.”

ONA’s Provincial President, Erin Ariss and Regional Vice President, Karen McKay-Eden, along with members of the ONA, reinforced the CUPE 5525 picket line and provided lunch for the striking workers.

At issue for the union members are fair pay, sick days, and a benefits package that will enable these workers to provide the best care possible for the residents of the buildings they service. The employer’s last proposal contained significant concessions to the working conditions of these workers.

pp/cope491

Contacts

For more information:
Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
English

Contacts

For more information:
Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

Nurses and PSWs among 15 job cuts at Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Resident care and working conditions will suffer as the Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home plans to eliminate 15 positions almost exclusively affecting nurses and personal support workers, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees 942. ROP houses 64 residents with mental illness, physical limitations or other complex needs. “The majority of residents at the Royal Ottawa Place are not independent, they rely heavily on staff for personal support and medical...

Health care workers decry 38 layoffs at Perley Health in Ottawa, to hold rally on Wednesday afternoon

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health care staff represented by CUPE 870 will be holding a rally outside the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre to protest 38 job cuts at the residential care home, as workers demand better staffing levels to improve care. The cuts at the Perley are part of a wave of health care cuts across the province including at hospitals in Ottawa, Hamilton, Niagara and North Bay. CUPE is blaming the provincial government for insufficient funding as the Financial Accountabi...

Hybrid Works! CUPE Members at Ontario Health atHome Stage a Province Wide Day of Action on the First Day of Doug Ford’s Return to Office Mandate

Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hybrid works. Since before the pandemic, workers at Ontario Health atHome have been working remotely to help deliver the essential home-care services Ontarians need. Now, on the whims of the Ford government, these workers are being forced back into office spaces that are not equipped to handle them all at once. Available office spaces have shrunk since 2019, which has resulted in an uneven application of the return to office mandate in the various regions across the pr...
Back to Newsroom