Paul Moist, local politicians and union leaders will be part of a noon rally June 11 to stop the layoff of more than 200 personal service providers at Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto.
The hospital has announced plans to get rid of the workers over the next 18 months, replacing them with registered practical nurses - a complete reversal of the staffing model they introduced 10 years ago.
“These workers - mostly women, mostly from racial minorities, many with only a few years left in the work force - are going to be forced out of good jobs to work for poverty-level wages in home care or long-term care,” said CUPE 79 President Ann Dembinski. “We are demanding that the hospital take every possible measure to ensure patients have a balance of care and that these workers have the opportunity to stay with Bridgepoint in the new positions as they are introduced.”