by Zaid Noorsumar
About 100 frontline health care workers at a nursing home in Ontario are being denied wage increases by the Ford government even though the employer wants to pay them more.
Service International Employees Union (SEIU) reached an agreement last summer with Mariann Home, a non-profit long-term care facility located in Richmond Hill.
The deal provided wage increases to all staff members including nurses, personal support workers (PSWs), dietary aides and housekeepers.
However, in November, the Ford government passed Bill 124, which caps wages in the broader public sector to one per cent per year.
Bill 124 only impacts non-profit homes
In the long-term care sector, the legislation only impacts non-profit nursing homes but not municipal and for-profit homes. Non-profits and charitable homes comprise about 24 per cent of facilities in the sector.
“We advocated [before the bill passed] that the government treat all long-term care homes the same,” said Lisa Levin, CEO of AdvantAge Ontario, the association that represents most non-profit and municipal nursing homes.
“[But the wage freeze] makes it challenging. It’s harder for non-profit homes to be attractive to staff.”
Levin said that her organization had not been informed why the legislation only affects non-profit homes. All nursing homes receive the same base funding from the provincial government.
Sebastian Skamski, press secretary for the President of the Treasury Board, responding as to why the legislation doesn’t apply to for-profit homes, wrote in an email, “These organizations have other tools to determine appropriate salary and compensation increases, and any cost avoidance in these sectors would accrue to the shareholders.”
The importance of the wage increase
According to Terry Downey, SEIU’s union representative, the employer’s hourly wages lag behind other homes in the sector by about $1 or $2 for various classifications of staff.
However, Mariann Home was willing to provide better wages to meet industry standards and the new collective agreement went into effect on February 1.
But SEIU says that on February 10, the workers were told their wage increases would be limited to one per cent.
According to SEIU, the difference between the negotiated deal and the imposed restrictions amounts to about 32 cents per hour for PSWs and 19 cents per hour for registered practical nurses (RPNs).
Considering the inflation rate in Ontario over the past year was 2.1 per cent, the Ford government’s legislation amounts to an effective pay cut.
In an open letter to the government, Tanya Fray, a Mariann Home worker who organizes recreational activities for residents, spoke out against the measure.
“How do you expect us to maintain our living standards when you have taken away what we need?” Fray wrote. “We have to provide and care for our families and we cannot do it when we are living as poor class citizens.”
Government spokesperson Skamski’s email response rationalized that “protecting front-line services, public sector jobs, and being realistic about the province’s current fiscal situation means that everyone needs to do their part.”
A systemic issue
Ontario’s long-term care workers are increasingly overburdened due to years of underfunding dating back to the Harris era, which has been further exacerbated by the Ford government’s real dollar cuts.
Levin from AdvantAge Ontario says that the acuity – or severity of needs – among long-term care residents has increased significantly over the years.
“[But] the level of funding, particularly in the area of staffing, has not increased,” she said. “That makes it very challenging for homes to be able to have enough staff to care for people.”
Consequently, short-staffing combined with poor compensation has led to a labour crisis.
“Before we went into bargaining, we surveyed our staff as to what the issues were,” Downey said, referring to the union’s recent negotiations with about 100 long-term care homes.
“When the research department put all those results together, 97% of the individuals said they were working short.”
Downey says workers routinely end up skipping lunches and breaks in order to keep up with work requirements, and in some cases are expected to work uncompensated overtime.
“People are like, ‘Why am I investing in this profession if they’re not even gonna pay me properly?’ Or [they say] ‘I can go work in a hospital and get paid more,’” she says.
Levin says staff in long-term care are not appreciated enough.
“I think people sometimes really undervalue the great work that PSWs do in long-term care. It’s really tough work and they are just amazing people,” Levin said.
Ford is trying to ruin all healthcare by turning it private. Ford is undoing the BEST part of Canada!
This is disgraceful. These support workers are the REAL boots on the ground backbone of the entire healthcare system. They deserve, at the very minimum, what the others are getting. If we can’t get this right we are sincerely messed up
I am a retired PSW of 35 years..I have seen so many wage freezes, cuts, mis-management, and too many CONSERVATIVE PREMIERS…Harris being the WORST..and Doug Ford running in second place and he is now in the passing lane !
I moved away from the first municipal home where I worked at for over 20 + years to another municipal home in Parry Sound..I had to take a $7.00 per hour pay cut..and..when I retired 15 years later I was still NOT up to what I was making 15 years prior to that move.
I am sickened by this government and all his cuts..and his unfair treatment of the working class..
He comes from wealth and hires wealth and has KNOW IDEA how the working class suffers !!
There are TWO fields that NO GOVERNMENT should skimp on …ONE IS EDUCATION and HEALTHCARE of ANY KIND IS THE OTHER !!
I could go on and on and on .. with the “shit” my colleagues and I had to endure as a “Nurse’s Aid, Healthcare Aid, PSW” or whatever the label is now..WE ARE THE FRONTLINE WORKERS..not the RPN’s or RN’s ..we do the all the primary care..get bitten, pinched, punched, kicked, spat on, pooped on, peed on, vomited on..then, have clean it all up!
Yes, we miss breaks, lunches, and dinner .. as the dedicated CARE..something THIS GOVERNMENT doesn’t know the meaning of..!!
The homes are unable to keep staff or attract new , as new workers are either sickened by what we do or are afraid of the job..or … should I say “career” …Anyone who takes a position knows full well they work 3 + different shifts..weekends..and sometimes overtime..and should have the VERY BEST OF WORK ETHICS.. making sure if humanly possible they SHOW UP .. do your work as if these RESIDENTS are YOUR OWN FAMILY and they must REMEMBER that..you are caring for our most frail and the most vulnerable..it is NOT an assembly line we are dealing with human beings . This is what THIS GOVERNMENT doesn’t understand..they think because their graphs and bullshit works on paper..it is HOW IT HAS TO BE DONE …bullshit ..IF YOU AREN’T THERE YOU DON’T KNOW!! What works one day may not work the next , OR EVEN THE NEXT MINUTE or there is an emergency , or someone fell, or someone passed, or someone pooped their pants, you are trying to coax Mrs..??to have a bath..or a family member asks you a question.. THIS JOB IS NOT TIME OR TASK ORIENTED!!
There is a crisis in long term care ..I have racked my brains to figure out how entice new blood into the field ..but.. I feel the young today want 9-5 5 days a week.. not as I .. who chose the field to be a caring loving person to those who needed me, as I knew someday this silent frail soul could be my Mom, Dad or even myself .. then, I chose this career to buy food and clothing for my kids !
I am an RPN in long term care –
I absolutely provide primary care right alongside our wonderful PSWs – we also get pinched hit bitten kicked, vomited on, shat on, peed on, name called, abused by family members, I pick up my share of residents off the floor, no breaks, get abused by docs, ER nurses and I could go on….
Right on the money girl. I could not have said it better.
Arlinne you are bang on.
It seems illegal for a law passed in Nov to change a collective agreement settled before the law passed? How is this even happening
My brother lives in a group home and is cared for by strangers who love him and treat him like their own family. Every time I visit I leave saying the same thing, “those people are true angels”. I also say, “they deserve better pay and benefits for what they do”. Our elitist provincial government officials don’t have a clue or seem to not care about people like my brother or the special labour force that take care of them. I’m not sure how they live with themselves…I guess their 14% wage increase this year helps with their guilt!
Huge increases for political appointees and parliamentary secretaries. Front line workers, 1%
Having a hard enough time attracting PSW’s without further reducing their pay. These are the front line workers that look after your family members. Why would you do something so stupid. Keep the working poor poor, let them know where you think their station in life is Doug Ford. I did believe in some of your cost cuts, hydro CEO, teachers but this takes the cake especially when these homes bargained for the raise.
I don’t want to hijack such a important post, but I do want to say that a lot of teachers, educators and those that work in the educational field do not get anywhere near that high salary or any of the benefits that the government keeps touting. Teachers have to go to college for years and then get on the supply list, then maybe get an LTO, then maybe after working for 11 years, achieve the level of salary that you are talking about. If you are an LTO like me, you get no benefits except for some sick days and two unpaid personal days. If you are an ECE like me who is also an LTO, you get $30,000 a year. However, you also get paid hourly. There is no salary for ECEs. So any work we do outside of our work hours (which is a lot) is for free. The work of educators (particularly in the public sector), like PSWs can be very undervalued. I don’t think it is okay to back Ford’s wage cuts to educational workers or his overall cuts to the educational sector at all.
Just wanted to put that out there. Not wanting to argue or derail the important topic of the plight faced by the PSWs or those in their care.
Monster Ford starving our non-profit healthcare system in order to pave the way for U.S. style private healthcare???
Cheri Sorenson-Poisson
Yesterday at 11:18 AM
To: Mr. Ford and the Governing body of Healthcare
My name is Cheri. I am a PSW in a Longterm Care Home for the past 10 years. As with most people in my profession, I love my job. We are here to provide quality care services.
I’m not sure if you are familiar with what exactly a PSW does in a nursing home. I , Like my other PSW partners, care for the elderly, the sick, the frail, the disabled, the mentally challenged, those that have mental health issues, Alzheimers, dementia, young and old, and many more.
Our job requires us to treat the residents as a whole,
meaning: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual. This means that when we provide care to a resident that we try to keep their dignity by having them do as much as possible for themselves, respecting their wishes, customs and rights.
I’m not sure if you have ever heard of the RESIDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS? “The Bill of Rights for residents of Ontario nursing homes became law in 1987. In 1993, it became law for residents of Ontario municipal and charitable homes for the aged. The Ontario government passed this Bill of Rights to make sure that long-term care facilities are truly homes for the people who live in them.” I will attach a copy for you.
You sir and your government are violating these peoples rights! You allow approximately 7 mins per resident for care, to get them dressed, bathed , mouth care, comb their hair and be ready to go to the dining room for breakfast. So that being said how do we afford these people dignity, to be able to do anything for themselves because we don’t have the time to allow them to do it for themselves because they are too slow and we don’t have time. And heaven forbid if these poor people should get upset about their situation and start crying because they are depressed and we can’t console them because we have to get 30 residents to the dining room on time. Or they have to go to the bathroom so bad but they have to wait because they are at least 5th in line to go because staffing is short yet again and there is only a couple PSW’s to take care of the whole floor and they are already helping someone else.
These residents our PEOPLE! Mothers, fathers, brothers , sisters, daughters, sons. Would you want your family members treated like this? How dignified would you feel if you had to soil yourself because you can’t go to the bathroom by yourself, and the staff were already busy with other residents. Or worse you can’t wait and try to do it yourself and now find yourself on the bathroom floor with a broken hip because you tried to do it yourself.
These residents are people! These PEOPLE deserve to be treated as humans and not some factory pushing elderly people down a conveyor line to be “processed” in less than 7 mins to hurry them to the dining room on time for breakfast. Or put in a tv room till the next meal with no one to talk to. Some of these residents’ only interaction is with their PSW. We love them and care for them and hug them when they are sad, often holding their hand as they take their last breath telling them that everything is going to be ok.
So I challenge you Mr. Ford, to live the life of a resident for just one day, only getting dressed, fed, brought to the bathroom when a PSW has the time to help you. God help you if someday you need the services of healthcare workers!
Sincerely Cheri Sorenson-Poisson
#pswlivesmattertoo #residentslivesmatter #dougfordheathcare #premierdougford
Dear Cheri, I have a loved one who spent the last 4 years of his life in a long term care facility, as he couldn’t do much for himself during those final years. I was, and forever will be, full of gratitude and admiration for his caregivers. You are unique human beings; I could never muster the patience, kindness and love that I saw on display every single day from the PSWs. I agree, Doug Ford and his government should spend a day or two in the role of a resident in long term care, to experience what it’s like for those who have such pressing needs and are so often put on the conveyor belt because the staff who are there to take care of the residents are so overworked and stressed. It’s shameful that you aren’t treated like the jewels you are, supported financially, materially and with respect by our government.
I live in a long term care facility, the staff work their butts off, some work ridiculous long hours as there is
usually a shortage of staff. ford needs to find out firsthand how his dumb laws affect people. This goes for all changes for the worse he has made since taking office. He’s already planning the next election two years away
I’m a PSW in northern Ontario all the agencies here are short of staff, doing home care out of my 19$ an hour I have to pay my truck payment, insurance, and maintenance sure I get 37 cents a kilometers that only covers my gas and oil changes. We are so under paid that no one want to work in Homecare. What is going happened to the healthcare system soon there will be no one the take care of the sick and elderly in there homes I will be very expensive to put them all in the hospital or long term, may Mr Ford needs to talk to his constituents that need the care instead of guessing what they need, I know if it was a member of his family he would definitely be looking it care is sporadic at the best of times do the the staff shortage.
Robert Sawyer CSW/ Chief Union Steward
Letter to Doug Ford
I would like to share a letter that I sent to Doug Ford and the governing body of HealthCare
To: Mr. Ford and the Governing body of Healthcare
My name is Cheri. I am a PSW in a Longterm Care Home for the past 10 years. As with most people in my profession, I love my job. We are here to provide quality care services.
I’m not sure if you are familiar with what exactly a PSW does in a nursing home. I , Like my other PSW partners, care for the elderly, the sick, the frail, the disabled, the mentally challenged, those that have mental health issues, Alzheimers, dementia, young and old, and many more.
Our job requires us to treat the residents as a whole,
meaning: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual. This means that when we provide care to a resident that we try to keep their dignity by having them do as much as possible for themselves, respecting their wishes, customs and rights.
I’m not sure if you have ever heard of the RESIDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS? “The Bill of Rights for residents of Ontario nursing homes became law in 1987. In 1993, it became law for residents of Ontario municipal and charitable homes for the aged. The Ontario government passed this Bill of Rights to make sure that long-term care facilities are truly homes for the people who live in them.” I will attach a copy for you.
You sir and your government are violating these peoples rights! You allow approximately 7 mins per resident for care, to get them dressed, bathed , mouth care, comb their hair and be ready to go to the dining room for breakfast. So that being said how do we afford these people dignity, to be able to do anything for themselves because we don’t have the time to allow them to do it for themselves because they are too slow and we don’t have time. And heaven forbid if these poor people should get upset about their situation and start crying because they are depressed and we can’t console them because we have to get 30 residents to the dining room on time. Or they have to go to the bathroom so bad but they have to wait because they are at least 5th in line to go because staffing is short yet again and there is only a couple PSW’s to take care of the whole floor and they are already helping someone else.
These residents our PEOPLE! Mothers, fathers, brothers , sisters, daughters, sons. Would you want your family members treated like this? How dignified would you feel if you had to soil yourself because you can’t go to the bathroom by yourself, and the staff were already busy with other residents. Or worse you can’t wait and try to do it yourself and now find yourself on the bathroom floor with a broken hip because you tried to do it yourself.
These residents are people! These PEOPLE deserve to be treated as humans and not some factory pushing elderly people down a conveyor line to be “processed” in less than 7 mins to hurry them to the dining room on time for breakfast. Or put in a tv room till the next meal with no one to talk to. Some of these residents’ only interaction is with their PSW. We love them and care for them and hug them when they are sad, often holding their hand as they take their last breath telling them that everything is going to be ok.
So I challenge you Mr. Ford, to live the life of a resident for just one day, only getting dressed, fed, brought to the bathroom when a PSW has the time to help you. God help you if someday you need the services of healthcare workers!
Sincerely Cheri Sorenson-Poisson
How about a wage cap for politicians and corporate assholes that make way too much money.
I can understand a minimum wage but cap it can never be a government’s provocative, it’s downright anti-social apart from the fact that 1% is below the annual inflation rate
While the Ford government says “everyone must do their part”, we know about the 14% increase in salary to 28 MPP’s as well as a 20% increase in housing costs for MPP’s. It sure doesn’t sound to me like the government has any intention of “doing their part”. It’s disgusting!
This action by the Ford government is consistent with the Conservative ideology: make public services non-viable so that they can be replaced by private enterprise. Long term care, health care, education, roads, policing, prisons … you name it. If the Tories had been able to rule unimpeded by the influence of the Liberals and NDP, we would be living in a very different world where the economic elite use pay-as-you-go services while the less fortunate rely on charity or do without.
I know that every word spoken by these people is true, I worked as a UCP I a retirement home and also in a long term care facility which I couldn’t stand, spoke my mind but nothing ever changed, so I quit. I also did alot of private care, which I loved, it was one on one and I felt that I really cared for them not being ever rushed. The way Ford is treating our Health care is disgusting and something needs to be done about it ASAP our seniors are not being treated right, they also are paying big money to live in these places and the government gets richer, and our seniors are being screwed
I also worked as pASS as well as an RPN. Now my husband is in long-term care. The men and women who work are a real blessing to the residents but too many times they are short staffed . There is a critical shortage of PSWs in the province and will only get worse with premier Ford’s cuts. I don’t know how to solve the issue . The number of seniors needing care is increasing, their level of care is increasing as they are older and more frail when they enter care. We need more facilities and more workers who are dedicated to caregiving.