New Waterford Long Term Care Workers Vote to Strike

NEW WATERFORD, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Long term care workers from Maple Hill Manor, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2765, voted 100% in favour of a strike mandate.

“I chose to work in long term care because I think it’s an important job,” said CUPE 2765 President Amanda McNeil-Odo. “It’s demanding, tiring, and stressful, but I love it anyway. But, at the end of the day, I have my own family to support, my own bills and obligations, and loving this job doesn’t pay for those. When we all voted yes during the strike vote, it was a message. We won’t settle for less than we deserve just because we love our jobs. Not anymore.”

Several essential classifications in long term care, such as dietary aides and seamstresses, make less than $20 an hour, putting them well behind the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ living wage estimates for Nova Scotia. But they are not alone, classifications such as cooks and maintenance also make several dollars less than their counterparts in other Atlantic provinces.

“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.”

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