Nurses and administrative staff with the Peel Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) went on strike May 29 after management refused the unions offer of binding arbitration.
The 200 members of CUPE Local 2842 manage cases, including professional health care, home support and long-term care placements to residents in the Peel region, west of Toronto.
Peel CCAC management has shown a disturbing lack of concern for the people who rely on our services, said Trudy Mulder-Hall. Now that we are on strike there will be no accountability in the system and our health care services will be in total chaos.
Outstanding issues include hours of work and benefits. Management wants to take complete control of our hours of work, making it impossible to juggle stressful jobs and still make room for family responsibilities, said Mulder-Hall.
The employers proposals would give management the right to dictate schedules, including 12-hour shifts, weekends and evenings, with changes to the next days shift without proper notice.
Our employer has mismanaged our benefits and now they want concessions that would hurt all employees, said Mulder-Hall.