Membership will help during ‘period of uncertainty’ in Ontario: Union organizer
More than 120 registered practical nurses, personal support workers, therapists and therapy assistants, social workers, nutrition aides and clerical staff at Hillcrest Reactivation Centre in Toronto voted to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on May 30.
Workers cited understaffing, an expansion to the scope of care they are expected to provide, and significant inequity with other similar workplaces as the primary motivations for unionizing, said the union.
“Health-care workers in Ontario know that we are in a period of uncertainty with a government making significant cuts to services that will impact hospital funding, patient care, and health care services across the province,” said Kristy Davidson, CUPE organizer. “The best way that workers can protect themselves and stand up for quality health care is by joining a strong health-care union that will defend public services and protect workers’ rights.”
