Riverview Gardens information picket in front of Civic Centre in Chatham on Monday. April 9, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). Riverview Gardens information picket in front of Civic Centre in Chatham on Monday. April 9, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).
Chatham

Riverview Gardens Staff Picket For Vacation Time

Many staff members at Riverview Gardens spent a chilly day picketing in Chatham to fight for time off after years of being denied vacations requests.

An information picket was held outside the Civic Centre in Chatham on Monday from 1pm to 7pm. The picket is expected to continue for the next few days.

Rebecca Kitchen, who is a personal support worker and the Unifor chair at Riverview Gardens in Chatham, previously told BlackburnNewsCK.com that low staffing levels are contributing to a lack of vacation time for workers at the municipally-run long-term care facility.

Mayor Randy Hope says the whole issue of vacations isn't new.

"Any employer always tries to make sure that they get adequate time off for their employees during the summer time," says Hope. "Unfortunately, mandating the services that you have to do and balancing between making sure you have the proper workforce--it's always trying and not everybody gets happy."

Riverview Gardens Local 127 Vice-Chair Gabriela Brown says staff have been struggling with having their vacation time approved by management for many years.

According to Brown, Unifor has had numerous meetings with management over the years to find a resolution and countless solutions have been suggested.

"All of these ideas have been dismissed and a positive outcome has never been reached," explains Brown. "Many of the employees who have been at the workplace for 15 or more years are denied vacation time. We would like the management to take our plight seriously and work together, not against each other, to implement a vacation system that is followed."

She says the lack of vacation time has a big impact on staff.

"It weighs on everybody... the overtime... and we are trying to avoid burnout. That's why it's so important for us to get some time off to be with our own families and just to recharge ourselves as well," says Brown. "We're caring for everybody's loved ones and you want to give them the best care that you can, so we as well need to take care of ourselves."

According to Brown, there is a meeting planned at Riverview Gardens with management soon to find a resolution. She hopes an agreement will be made by Wednesday.

Civic officials also say steps are being taken to alleviate the staffing problem at the facility.

 

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