PLANTAGENET, Ont. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) is condemning an Ontario nursing home operator’s “unconscionable” attacks on employees who have faced unprecedented challenges and stress for the last 2½ years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO: Pinecrest Nursing Home employees, members of United Steelworkers
WHAT: Information picket, re: working conditions
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Pinecrest Nursing Home, 101 Parent St., Plantagenet, Ont., K0B 1L0
“It is universally acknowledged that long-term care workers have confronted some of the most-demanding and risky working conditions of any group throughout the pandemic,” said Myles Sullivan, the USW’s Ontario Director.
“Just about everyone recognizes that long-term care workers, after being over-worked, underpaid and taken for granted for so long, deserve better working conditions,” said Sullivan.
“Unfortunately, the profit-driven operators of the Pinecrest Nursing Home are among the very few who think otherwise. These people actually are demanding concessions to worsen their employees’ working conditions,” he added.
“They want to maximize profits on the backs of the front-line workers who provide the care and services needed by the vulnerable residents of their nursing home. This is as unconscionable as it gets, and our members are saying, ‘enough is enough!’ ”
The front-line staff at Pinecrest Nursing Home, in the eastern Ontario community of Plantagenet, are USW members who have attempted to improve their working conditions through collective bargaining for several months.
However, Pinecrest’s corporate ownership continues to demand concessions from workers, including cuts to sick pay and sick time accumulation, and placing an unfair burden on employees to access prescription medication.
“Given what we’ve endured throughout the pandemic, it’s shameful that this corporation wants to weaken our working and living standards, rather than improve conditions,” said Diane Gariépy, president of USW Local 9211 and member of the union’s bargaining committee.
“The front-line staff have gone above the call of duty to care for the residents and keep the facility running for the last 2½ years,” Gariépy said. “Not only is there no appreciation from this employer, they want to make things worse.”
The Pinecrest employees will be picketing outside the facility on Tuesday, Oct. 18, to protest their company’s concession demands and to demonstrate their commitment to negotiate improved working conditions.
The workers and the company are scheduled to resume negotiations the following day, on Oct. 19.
Through provincial legislation enforced by Doug Ford’s Conservative government, the Pinecrest Nursing Home employees are denied the right to strike to try to improve their working conditions.
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