Arichat Long Term Care Workers Vote to Strike

SYDNEY, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre workers, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 5032, voted 91% in favour of a strike mandate.

“It’s incredibly frustrating that it [bargaining] has come to this, to taking a strike vote,” said CUPE 5032 President Annette Boudreau, “but after two years with an expired contract, watching every other health care sector get raises, watching long term care workers get raises that make us the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, it’s not surprising. We’re underpaid and overworked, and the government doesn’t seem to care.”

Long term care workers in Nova Scotia are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, with several classifications, such as cooks and seamstresses, making under $20 an hour. Recent collective agreements in other provinces such as Prince Edward Island have resulted in a nearly $10 an hour wage difference for classifications such as dietary aides.

“When we talk wages, regardless of the job or classification, there’s always someone who says, ‘well, they should get a different job,’ and my response to that is a question in return: who will take care of our elderly if every long term care worker leaves the sector? What are we supposed to do then?” asked CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin. “The solution isn’t changing jobs—it’s paying these workers what they deserve.”

CUPE long term care workers in the New Glasgow area will be gathering outside the New Glasgow Farmers Market on December 13^th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for an information picket to raise further awareness about their bargaining issues.

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