Liverpool Long Term Care Workers Vote to Strike

LIVERPOOL, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Long term care workers from Queens Manor Nursing home, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2648, voted 100% in favour of a strike mandate.

“This voting result is bittersweet,” admitted CUPE 2648 President Peter Howard. “No one wants to go on strike, that’s the last thing we want, but long term care workers are at their breaking point. We can’t afford the cost of living in this province on these wages, and we can’t continue to work understaffed. This vote shows how stretched thin we truly are and if going on strike is the only way to make the government listen, we’re prepared to do just that.”

CUPE long term care locals across the province are taking strike votes, with 19 already voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike mandates, in a coordinated effort following several unsuccessful bargaining meetings which led to the union filing for conciliation at the end of November. CUPE cites the poor wage offer and lack of engaged bargaining from the government as the main drivers behind filing for conciliation.

“Workers across the province, across the country, are reaching their breaking points. The cost of everything has gone up dramatically in recent years, making the cost of living skyrocket, and wages just haven’t kept up. This isn’t a long term care specific issue. This government needs to recognize that a healthy province is created by people being able to afford to live there,” said Tammy Martin, CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator, “and we hope our fellow workers, regardless of sector, will support our fight for just that.”

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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