Ottawa, Ontario, April 2, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–We have a network of nurses and personal support workers who conduct hundreds of senior home health visits every day across eastern Ontario. It seems seamless, but the infrastructure behind that network — the 70 health administrators who schedule visits, make reservations, manage sick calls, and more — is broken.
These health managers are members of CUPE 4999 and have been working without a contract for more than two years. Meanwhile, burnout increased and morale and service levels plummeted. In hopes of securing a fair deal to address urgent needs, workers submitted an overwhelming open letter to the board signed by more than 80 percent of her CUPE 4999 membership .
“On paper, our job is just managing schedules, but in reality it’s so much more than that. When a nurse or PSW calls in sick, we rush to schedule an appointment. Coordination and ensure that dozens of people who are sick or dying get the care they need. “Seniors don't just lie in bed all day without bathing or exercising. is about people's health and well-being, and we carry that stress on our shoulders,” said Vanora Schoenwald, nursing coordinator for seven years and president of CUPE 4999. “We are so short-staffed that we routinely cover two or three desks, juggling the schedules of hundreds of patients a day while also fielding incoming sick calls. We're managing and responding to emails. We're good coordinators, but we're not magicians.”
Health managers at Carefor start out at just $19 an hour, and employees can earn up to $25 an hour. Meanwhile, hourly wages for hospital peers start at $27, a difference that has led to rampant worker shortages at Carefor, forcing those who remain in hospitals to turn to food banks or delay paying their bills. It turns out. Further fueling worker dissatisfaction with pay is the eye-popping $75,000 raise that Carefor CEO Steve Perry received from 2020 to 2022, taking his salary to $300,000. It was more than a dollar.
Workers' hopes for a quick and fair contract were dashed last week after the first day's negotiations were abruptly canceled and Carefor's legal team made unwarranted concessions, including taking away holiday entitlements and excluding workers from the bargaining unit. Shattered for asking.
Last May, in honor of the growing morale challenges, Human Resources held a listening session with employees. The feedback was harsh.
“I am extremely proud of the courage these workers have shown. They stood up and told HR that they once loved their jobs but could no longer continue, even though they work in the medical field. “My health is deteriorating. HR said they would talk to management, but nothing was done,” Shane said. Mr. Wald said. “They didn't listen to us then, and they still ignore us now. We need them to understand the needs of our workers and make sure Eastern Ontarians get the care they deserve. What do you need?”
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Jesse Mintz, President, CUPE Communications
416 704 9642
jmintz@cupe.ca
