The union representing hundreds of retirement home workers in the region is calling for a change to how employees are treated, a few weeks before contract bargaining is set to take place.
Unifor members rallied in front of Chatham Retirement Resort on Keil Drive North Thursday afternoon in protest of what they claim is a reduction of jobs and resident services.
According to Unifor Local 2458 President Tullio DiPonti, Revera Inc., the company that owns and operates Chatham Retirement Resort, has cut its hours and resident services.
DiPonti said the decision feels like a slap in the face, following the height of the pandemic where many workers faced reduced vacation time, physical and mental burnout, and increased workload.
"These workers worked through the worst of the worst. going through the pandemic, was no joke. they were worried, crying, and afraid that they were going to be affected by it," said DiPonti. "Yet they came to work, did their job and made sure the residents were taken care of."
The two sides are set to begin collective agreement negotiations within the next two months, however, DiPonti said he is still waiting to hear about when that will take place, specifically.
According to DiPonti, the union chose to rally in front of Chatham Retirement Resort because he said the facility has had one of the most dramatic cut hours. He also wants to see the provincial government step in and push owners of for-profit retirement homes to pay fair wages and not worry as much about the "bottom line."
"These for-profit homes decided it was time to recoup some of the money they lost. Unfortunately, the workers are paying for that but the people that really suffer are the residents in these facilities," he said."The workers suffer and the residents suffer. If you don't have enough people, not everything gets done... without staff, you're not going to get the proper care."
In an emailed statement to CK News Today, Revera Communications Director Larry Roberts said Revera’s number one priority is the health and well-being of their residents.
"From time to time, we are required to align our staff based on the needs of our residents," Roberts said. "Our goal is to deliver quality services and experiences to our retirement living residents. Our focus is ensuring we have the right staff, at the right place, at the right time. At Revera, we work closely and collaboratively with our Union partners, and information pickets are a right of the union which we respect. We will continue to work with employees to resolve any outstanding issues, working through the well-established, mutually agreed upon processes that are in place."