Residents at Red Oak Retirement Home call on management to pay fair wages

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the union representing the workers at Sienna-owned Red Oak Retirement Home prepare for interest arbitration tomorrow, a group of residents have issued a letter to the management team. In the letter, these residents call on Sienna, which has reported record-breaking profits from their private sector retirement homes, to meet the union’s demands for fair pay raises.

CUPE 5102 represents to over 60 personal support workers, care staff, cooks, custodians, and other essential staff who provide services for the home. Many of these workers have not received wage increases in more than two years, despite the company reporting record profits.

“The increase in the cost of living is affecting all of us,” the letter reads, “but none so much as those who must make do with employment that pays barely above minimum wage.” The letter concluded by stating that residents were assured Sienna was a caring and supportive employer when they chose to move in, and the letter urged the company to honour that promise by reaching a fair deal with staff, one that ensures continuity of care and keeps workers at Red Oak.

The members of CUPE 5102 do not have the right to strike and so must rely on interest arbitration to achieve a fair contract. The hearing is scheduled for August 6^th.

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