Striking workers at North York LTC home say replacement workers not providing quality service to seniors

As personal care workers at a North York long-term care home strike for benefits, sick days and higher wages, they say replacement workers are undermining their efforts and providing sub-par care to seniors.

The 25 members of CUPE Local 5525, who support senior residents at Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged in North York, were on the picket line Friday.

Workers have been on the picket line for three weeks now, following three years of collective bargaining that began when they unionized in 2022, according to CUPE's website. The primary cause of the strike, according to CUPE, are "poverty wages" and cuts to workers' benefits and sick days.

Lilinaa Lena, a personal support worker at Villa Colombo, says her job requires a certificate diploma but after years of stagnation, it now pays just above minimum wage. She says even with current benefits and pay, some of her colleagues have to work two jobs.

Lena says while she's out striking, replacement workers are undermining the union.

"They are stealing our jobs," she said Friday.

More than that, she says, they don't provide the same quality of service to the residents as she and her unionized colleagues.

"They don't arrive on time, they don't give the right medication," she said. "We have a good connection with the seniors. They are the same as family. We help them."

NDP MPP Alexa Gilmour, who joined workers on the picket line Friday, said wants Villa Colombo "to listen to the workers and reach a fair deal so that those seniors can receive the quality care that they deserve from the people that they trust."

"Their employer has brought in scab labour, and the seniors are paying a price for that, because it lowers the quality of care," Gilmour said, adding that the Ontario NDP wants the provincial government to implement legislation against replacement workers.

In a flyer distributed to clients and their families, Villa Colombo Toronto said it would not withhold services from clients while workers strike.

"We would never leave our clients without care," the Villa Colombo flyer said. "That would go against everything we stand for."

Employer says fair deal has been tabled

In the same flyer, Villa Colombo Toronto said the union's statements aren't true, and that the employer "has tabled a generous offer" that includes "good hourly wages, ample sick days, generous dental and drug plans, long-term disability coverage, and a best-in-class pension plan."

Lisa Alcia, executive director of Villa Colombo Toronto said in an email that over nearly 50 years, Villa Colombo Toronto has built respectful, trusted relationships with staff.

"While we are disappointed by the current strike, we remain committed to delivering seamless care to our clients and hope to see our valued employees return to work under the fair and generous agreement we've offered — one that stands above sector standards and was validated by the Ontario Labour Relations Board," she said.

The employer is offering workers a nearly nine per cent retroactive pay increase, a spokesperson for Villa Colombo Toronto said in an email.

Villa Colombo Toronto describes the long-term care (LTC) site on its website as a "designated ethno-specific facility that encompasses all aspects of Italian life and culture into the care and services provided."