CUPE Local 4599: Workers at Kensington Health Long-Term Care and Hospice call on the community for support, amid contract negotiations

TORONTO — The workers of CUPE 4599 provide quality care for the residents of Kensington Health Long-Term Care and Hospice in Toronto’s Kensington Market. The work is physically and psychologically demanding, but the workers show up every day to provide care for some of the most vulnerable members of the community because they care. High workload, coupled with high stress and low pay has caused turnover at the home to skyrocket. With contract negotiations underway, the local is taking to the streets to call on the community to help them fight for better working conditions.

Workers held an information picket outside their workplace Saturday afternoon, handing out flyers and calling on community members to support them. The biggest concerns for the union going into negotiations are vacation quotas that prevent staff from being able to take time off, and a lack of long-term disability benefits to help take care of staff when they get sick or injured on the job.

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“Our members are tired,” said Frank O’Malley, President of CUPE 4599. “Turnover is high because we don’t get a chance to rest.”

“We also are fighting for disability accommodations for staff members with permanent injuries and medical conditions who want to continue working,” added O’Malley. “Our previous management valued the skills of these, often long-term employees, and found meaningful work for them to the benefit of our residents, but our new management has no use for them.”

The Union and the Employer met once over the summer and is scheduled to meet again on Monday September 14. If talks fail, they will need to call on a conciliator to help the parties find common ground. Under the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act, long-term care workers are denied the right to strike, which often means workers like those in CUPE 4599 must rely on community support to help them keep their employers at the bargaining table.

“We care for some of the most vulnerable people in this community,” said O’Malley. “We need our employer to care for us.”