After more than a year at the bargaining table, members of CUPE 966 who work in long-term care in the Region of Peel have filed a no-board report.
“We’d like to get back to the bargaining table as soon as we can, but we can’t continue to bargain with the employer if they cannot meet us eye to eye,” says Salil Arya, the president of CUPE 966, which represents over 2,000 members employed by the Region of Peel.
“These workers in long-term care have risked their lives going to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and they deserve to have a fair and equitable compensation package that includes wages that reflect the high inflation rates that members of CUPE 966 are battling every day,” Arya says.
The unit includes workers at four long-term care homes in the Region of Peel, including Malton Village Long-Term Care, Peel Manor Long-Term Care, Sheridan Villa Long-Term Care and Tall Pines Long-Term Care. Almost 1000 workers are spread out across all four long-term care centres, including part-time and full-time members.
The main items on the table are benefits and wages, which have not increased in three years. Because these workers do not have the right-to-strike, the no-board report will lead to interest arbitration and an arbitrator will be appointed by the Ministry of Labour.
“The long-term care sector in Ontario is in a staffing crisis. These workers are heroes, and they deserve to be compensated fairly and respectfully for the incredibly hard work they do every day,” Arya says.