The community showed up in support of the workers at Sienna Living’s Case Manor in Bobcaygeon, Ontario after it was announced that job cuts and cuts to hours of work were being implemented in the spring. The employer is cutting 1300 hours per month from the care hours that should be going to support the residents in the home. Members of CUPE 3204 are PSWs, maintenance, recreation, and kitchen staff that ensure the quality of life for residents of the home.
“Sienna is cutting hours, and cutting jobs in an attempt to make up for the cuts Doug Ford’s Conservative government has made to investing in public healthcare,” said Yolanda McLean, Secretary Treasurer of CUPE Ontario. “Let’s be real here – when the government cuts support for seniors, cuts healthcare spending, the people he is hurting are the seniors who are trying to live their lives in dignity, and the workers who work to provide the care and support those seniors need.”
“The community has shown up in a big way,” said Joan Kelly, president of CUPE Local 3204. “Everyone here understands the importance of providing quality care for seniors, and they know that these cuts will hurt the residents in the long run.”
In response to the rally, and the hundreds of emails sent to Sienna Living’s management team, management has resorted to verbal threats and intimidation tactics. They have hung the privacy policy and social media policies in prominent places where workers come to sign in for their shifts and have been overheard threatening to fire anyone who speaks with the media.
The union has already filed a series of grievances against the cuts to hours and layoffs and is prepared to use every legal lever to protect our members from any reprisals threatened by management.