While nearly 4,000 workers in community, health and social services have been walking the lines for almost 11 weeks, support from their communities and families of those they support remains strong.
This week, media from Renfrew County to York Region took note as families and workers stood together in this shared fight for the future of our services.
Families rally behind striking Community Living workers
Members of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 472 on strike at Community Living Renfrew County South held an event outside the town hall last week, where they were joined by about 30 people they support and their family members.
“Indoor day programs remain closed, and while Community Living Renfrew South has used outside replacement workers to fill in, families are telling us that our vulnerable clients struggle with the disruption to their daily routines. Our clients need a consistent routine, and they are not receiving that level of care.” Shannon Waddell
Multiple parents addressed the crowd, talking about how the strike has impacted the life their children:
“I want all the staff who are on strike to know that we support you and we know how much all of you care for our children. You all know Judy who is standing here beside me and Judy wants her regular support workers to be able to help her every day. I am not getting any younger and I worry about what is going to happen to Judy once I am gone. The support she is receiving today is nowhere what she needs to live a happy life.” – Murray MacDonald, Father of Judy who is supported by CLRCS workers.
“This has gone on far too long and it is the clients who are suffering and not receiving the level of care they deserve. Myself and other families support the workers and they are more than just support staff. They are like family members and our children miss them and that is why we are out here today to show support.” Charlene Riopelle, a mother who’s son is supported by CLRCS.
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Union, family mourn client lost amid ongoing labour dispute
This week, members of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 386 at Community Living Central York held a vigil on their picket lines to remember Mary Tutt, a longtime resident who passed away earlier this month. Members who looked after Mary shared their memories describing her as a special person with a wonderful sense of humour and bright personality.
Mary’s family had been sounding the alarm for weeks about concerns about the quality of care she was receiving from replacement workers during the strike and voicing their support for workers’ demands. Mary’s brother attended the vigil and thanked the members for being there – “Couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said.
OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick joined members on the line for the vigil.
“[These workers] want to be in there with the clients that they care about. Mary’s death was largely preventable … but it is not down to these workers; it’s down to the agency management and government who are callously treating these people like pawns in the larger issue, when, realistically, what they should be doing is simply providing the funding necessary to ensure these people get the wages they had stolen back, so that we can all get back to work.”
“The agency workers that the managers have been bringing in, or the managers themselves, are simply not providing the quality of the care. And the management could have joined in and actually demanded this money from the government … they all know that the sector is not adequately funded.
We know that there are tens of thousands of people on the waiting list for supportive housing. At some point, workers needed to take a stand to say, we’re not just fighting for ourselves, we are fighting for sectors that are desperate for the funding that people need.”
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