'Whole gamut of issues' plaguing long-term care, Sudbury health-care workers say

Some health-care workers in Greater Sudbury are fed up with the long list of problems plaguing the sector.

A group of members from Mine Mill 598/Unifor Sudbury is planning several rallies this month in front of long-term care homes.

The first was held Wednesday at St Gabriel's Villa in Chelmsford.

Workers are angry with both their employers and the provincial government for allowing the problems to pile up.

"They're angry that they can't get full time jobs, they're angry that they didn't get COVID pay, they're angry that they're stuck at a one per cent increase, they're angry that there's a shortage of workers, they're angry that they're getting other workers in who are making a lot more money than they are," said Melissa Wood, vice-president of Mine Mill Local 598/Unifor.

"There's such a whole gamut of issues with health-care workers."

"The basic three: overworked, underpaid and underappreciated are really our biggest things," said President of Mine Mill 598/Unifor, Eric Boulay.

The rallies are meant to draw attention to what's been happening in long-term care.

"They need better working conditions," Wood said.

She said the Ministry of Health, through the provincial government, provides funding to the employers of the long-term care homes, yet it hasn't made a difference for the front-line staff. 

Issues for workers include under-staffing, heavy workload, exhaustion, and a need for wage parity across the system.

"If I'm an RPN why do I not make the same wage wherever I go?" Wood asked.

"Cause what's happening now is we're just poaching workers to the highest bidder and then leaving us high and dry with no workers left."

Bill 124 caps wage increases at 1%

Wood said that although some health-care workers did get COVID pay or a slight bump in their wages during the pandemic, most health-care workers fall under the one per cent cap over three years. 

That cap is part of Bill 124, passed by the Ford government in 2019. It caps wages on public sector employees, including many health-care workers.

Bouley said the legislation limits the union's bargaining rights to negotiate wage increases for members, adding that there's not enough front-line staff compared to managers. He used the parking lot at St Gabriel's Villa to show his example.

"You see the parking lot is full. It's a weekday. Come back here on a weekend there's maybe a quarter of the cars in the parking lot and those are the people actually providing the care," Boulay said.

"We're thinking it's a little bit on the top-heavy side for administration and management and we need more actual PSWs, food service and cooks on the ground to provide care for the residents," he said.

There's just not enough boots on the ground to provide the care required to these [long-term care] residents.-Eric Boulay, president Mine Mill/Unifor Local 598

"There's just not enough boots on the ground to provide the care required to these [long-term care] residents"

Although hiring incentives are great to bring in more workers, Wood said it doesn't help current long term care staff who are overworked, underpaid, and reaching burnout.

Mine Mill 598/Unifor is planning rallies in front of Finlandia Village and the Elizabeth Centre later this month.

For Wood, who's been in health care for 20 years, this is the worst she's seen.

"Here we thought it was bad before COVID, we went into COVID, our health and safety protections weren't with us, our ministerial bodies need to also protect us within the workplace," Wood said, referring to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour.