Brockville At a time when many in our community are advocating for increased care for the elderly and vulnerable in our long-term care facilities, the administration of St. Lawrence Lodge is doing the opposite by proposing that staff reduce their hours of work as a way for the facility to cut costs.
Ultimately, reduced hours for staff means less hands-on quality care for the elderly and the sick at St. Lawrence Lodge. For workers who want to provide the best possible care for residents, this is a giant step backwards.”
We are already short-staffed. We are already struggling to meet the needs of residents. More cuts to hours of work will make compliance standards almost impossible to maintain. This must be made clear to the administration, says Barbara Astbury, a National Representative with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing employees at the facility.
This proposed cut in hours is scheduled to take place May 1, 2004. But the 210 employees (CUPE Local 2107), who work as registered practical nurses (RPNs), health care aides, housekeeping, maintenance and custodial staff at the facility, are gearing up to make their concerns public.
CUPE Local 2107 members are planning community information pickets beginning today, Monday, April 5 and continuing to Thursday, April 8, 2004, from 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in front of St. Lawrence Lodge, 1803 County Road 2, Brockville, Ontario.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Haggart
President, Local 2107
(613) 348-1113
Barbara J.Astbury
CUPE National Representative
(613) 542-2069
Stella Yeadon
CUPE Communications
(416) 578-8778
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