Peterborough Retirement Home Workers Hold Strike Vote Over Stagnant Wages and Chronic Understaffing
The members of CUPE Local 5129, representing workers at the Atira-owned Sherbrooke Heights independent living facility in Peterborough, held a strike vote last night. This comes as the parties have failed to make any meaningful headway on wages for the 34 workers at the facility.
“The employer runs a skeleton crew, pays us at or just barely above minimum wage, all while jacking up the rent on the residents. It’s not right,” said Local 5129 President, Heather Blackburn. “Some of our members have worked here for over 20 years and have only received wage increases because of increases to minimum wage.”
The workers voted unanimously for strike action, sending a strong signal to the management team that they are prepared to walk off the job if a fair deal can’t be reached.
“We want management to come back to the table with a reasonable offer,” said Blackburn. “We care about our residents, we love our work, but we can’t keep up this pace for poverty wages.”
Author: Pete Fisher
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