Saskatoon care home workers issue strike notice
Workers at group homes run by LutherCare Communities in Saskatoon have issued a strike notice after negotiations stalled between the union and employer.
Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) says staff at the six unionized LutherCare group homes across the city will begin job action on Wednesday.
The union says wages and attempts to secure two days off in a row to rest — otherwise known as a weekend — are key sticking points in the stalled talks.
“This action will result in some services being withdrawn by our members, and those services will have to be taken care of by management,” SEIU-West president Barbara Cape said in a release.
“There’s time to avoid the withdrawal of services, but the ball is in the employer’s court to put forward a fair deal to settle a long overdue collective agreement.”
The union says over the years, shifts have become shorter, to the point that even full-time staff find themselves continuously working seven days a week to make enough hours.
SEIU-West is asking for proper rest, and scheduled two-day-in-a-row breaks for LutherCare staff.
“The Employer seems ambivalent to our members’ need for respect, fairness, and a living wage. Let’s be clear, everyone deserves a weekend, even if it’s not the traditional Saturday and Sunday,” Cape said.
Cape says workers are also concerned that their managers are given the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday, but they are not.
“There’s still the issue of the employer offering the statutory holiday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to out of scope managers, but not the staff working on the frontline of the homes.”
In a statement emailed to media on Tuesday afternoon, LutherCare said it wanted to reassure residents and their families that the "safety and security of residents remains our priority."
LutherCare said it was pleased to learn that medical appointments and urgent care won't be impacted by the job action.
It also said management tried contacting the union since the conciliation talks ended on March 1, but hadn't heard back.
"We have reached out on several occasions to the union asking for clarification on their position regarding our last offer and there has been no response to date," Chief People Officer Chad Okrainetz said in the statement.
"We believe we have offered a fair package that includes a wage increase retroactive to April 1st, 2023, increased medical care leave, a signing bonus and the inclusion of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday," said Okrainetz.
The organization was open to offering the new stat holiday, on the question of offering staff two consecutive days off per week, it was equivocal.
"While we cannot offer every weekend off due to our commitment to provide 24/7 care, we do schedule our shifts to ensure that team members are eligible for at least two days off each week, except in situation where a team member elects to work overtime on their days off," Okrainetz said.
"We are hoping to get back to the bargaining table soon for further discussion on these issues."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.