My Cape Breton Home Senior Care Workers Vote to Strike

SYDNEY, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yet another Sydney long term care home, My Cape Breton Home for Seniors, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 5137, voted 98% in favour of a strike mandate last week, citing low wages and recruitment and retention issues.

“We took this vote to send a message: we’re ready to fight for what we deserve,” said CUPE 5137 President Bernice Miles. “No one wants to go on strike, we want to keep working and caring for our residents to the best of our abilities, but the government needs to realize they can’t keep paying us the bare minimum. That won’t keep people in these jobs, or encourage people to apply, and we’re done pretending it will.”

Long term care workers in Nova Scotia are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, with several classifications, such as cooks and ward clerks, 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.

“Houston and his government seem comfortable leaving Nova Scotians at the bottom,” observed CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin, “but these workers aren’t. So, they’re going to keep fighting for what they deserve.”

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