Latest news with #CCAs
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
100% of Cumberland County Home Support Workers Vote to Strike
Article content HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Home support workers represented by CUPE 3953 from the Victorian Order of Nurses of Cumberland County voted in favour of a strike mandate, with 100% of those who voted authorizing a strike. Article content Article content 'We're proud to join the rest of the CUPE home support workers by voting in favour of the strike, but we're disappointed it's come to this,' said CUPE 3953 President Kelly Forbes-Leblanc. 'We've been fighting since 2023 for a fair deal, for acknowledgment of our pivotal place in the health care system, but government and our employer continue to ignore us.' Article content Home support is a vital part of the health care system, allowing seniors to stay in their home longer before moving to long term care, and those in acute care to return home without fear that they will lose out on the care they need. The work of these Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) eases the strain on both long term and acute care. They are fighting for fair wages, scheduling based on geography and improved sick time. Article content 'Our home support workers, like so many across the province, service a large geographical area and that means we spend hours a day in our vehicles, travelling between clients,' explained Forbes-LeBlanc. 'We want scheduling to be based on geography, so we're not driving from one side of our service area to the other between clients.' Article content CCAs are often given as little as 30 minutes between clients, during which time they are expected to submit their reports and travel to their next client. Since they service all of Cumberland County, that means CCAs are often travelling from Malagash to Amherst but could be scheduled to travel from Malagash to Advocate Harbour if scheduling isn't done with geography in mind. Article content 'Home support, as a sector, is struggling. We're all short staffed, we're overworked, and the waitlist for home care is only growing,' said Forbes-Leblanc. 'This problem is only going to get worse if the government doesn't prioritize the workers in the sector. They can't keep ignoring us for two years, or in the case of our fellow CUPE home support, four years, and expect people to join the sector. Premier Houston said health care was a priority. Well, we're still waiting for that to mean us too.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Kelly Forbes-Leblanc CUPE 3953 President (902) 254-4451 Article content Article content
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Home support workers in Baddeck, N.S., vote in favour of strike
Workers at Victoria County Home Support Service (VCHSS) in Baddeck, N.S., voted 100 per cent in favour of a strike late last week. The local union that represents the workers cites lack of guaranteed hours, wages, and wear and tear on personal vehicles for the decision. 'After four years out of contract and seven months of bargaining, we're tired of waiting for the Nova Scotia government and our employer to recognize our issues,' said Trish Lewis-Pierrard, president of CUPE 4354, in a Tuesday news release. Lewis-Pierrard said the service provider only had one new hire last year. 'When I started in 2007, we had 26 CCAs on staff. Now we have 16. That isn't sustainable. New graduates need to want to come to VCHSS for their career and stay, and that's not going to happen with unstable hours and low wages,' she said. CUPE home support sector coordinator Kathy MacLeod added it is difficult for workers to make long term plans due to fluctuating hours. 'Every week, their hours and pay can change based on the clients. This doesn't happen in any other sector. No CCA in long term care or at the hospitals has their pay change depending on how many residents or patients they see in a day,' she said in the release. The union is also asking for improved workplace safety language and better protections for CCAs working in the field. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
National Post
4 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Baddeck Home Support Workers vote 100% in favour of a strike
Article content VICTORIA COUNTY, Nova Scotia — Late last week, home support workers at Victoria County Home Support (VCHSS) voted 100% in favour of a strike mandate, citing no guaranteed hours, unfair wages, workplace safety, and wear and tear on personal vehicles as their main issues. Article content Article content 'After four years out of contract and seven months of bargaining, we're tired of waiting for the Nova Scotia government and our employer to recognize our issues,' said Trish Lewis-Pierrard, president of CUPE 4354, the local union that represents the workers of VCHSS. Article content Like many other home support Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs), home support workers at VCHSS do not have guaranteed hours of work. This means that their hours fluctuate week to week and are subject to change based on the client's needs. Yet, despite this instability, all home support workers are expected to own their own reliable vehicle with insurance and a Nova Scotian registration. Article content 'We had one new hire in 2024. The only new hire that stayed before that was in 2018,' said Lewis-Pierrard. 'When I started in 2007, we had 26 CCAs on staff. Now we have 16. That isn't sustainable. New graduates need to want to come to VCHSS for their career and stay, and that's not going to happen with unstable hours and low wages.' Article content 'It's impossible for CCAs in this sector to make any long term plans,' said CUPE Home Support Sector Coordinator Kathy MacLeod. 'Every week, their hours and pay can change based on the clients. This doesn't happen in any other sector. No CCA in long term care or at the hospitals has their pay change depending on how many residents or patients they see in a day.' Article content Another issue remaining on the table is improved workplace safety language. Home support workers are expected to enter client homes unaccompanied to provide care, often in remote areas without cell service or reception. The local is fighting for a more clear and effective process for when incidents arise and better protections for the CCAs working in the field. Article content 'None of us want to strike, but we are all prepared to if that's what it takes for our issues to be addressed. We believe in the value of home support to the health care system; we know how important it is to help people stay in their homes longer. We deserve fair pay; we deserve a safe working environment; and we deserve stable working hours,' finished Lewis-Pierrard. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For more information, please contact: Kathy MacLeod CUPE Home Support Sector Coordinator (902) 578-3304 Article content Trish Lewis-Pierrard CUPE 4354 President (902) 317-0136 Article content Article content
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Baddeck Home Support Workers vote 100% in favour of a strike
VICTORIA COUNTY, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 27, 2025-- Late last week, home support workers at Victoria County Home Support (VCHSS) voted 100% in favour of a strike mandate, citing no guaranteed hours, unfair wages, workplace safety, and wear and tear on personal vehicles as their main issues. 'After four years out of contract and seven months of bargaining, we're tired of waiting for the Nova Scotia government and our employer to recognize our issues,' said Trish Lewis-Pierrard, president of CUPE 4354, the local union that represents the workers of VCHSS. Like many other home support Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs), home support workers at VCHSS do not have guaranteed hours of work. This means that their hours fluctuate week to week and are subject to change based on the client's needs. Yet, despite this instability, all home support workers are expected to own their own reliable vehicle with insurance and a Nova Scotian registration. 'We had one new hire in 2024. The only new hire that stayed before that was in 2018,' said Lewis-Pierrard. 'When I started in 2007, we had 26 CCAs on staff. Now we have 16. That isn't sustainable. New graduates need to want to come to VCHSS for their career and stay, and that's not going to happen with unstable hours and low wages.' 'It's impossible for CCAs in this sector to make any long term plans,' said CUPE Home Support Sector Coordinator Kathy MacLeod. 'Every week, their hours and pay can change based on the clients. This doesn't happen in any other sector. No CCA in long term care or at the hospitals has their pay change depending on how many residents or patients they see in a day.' Another issue remaining on the table is improved workplace safety language. Home support workers are expected to enter client homes unaccompanied to provide care, often in remote areas without cell service or reception. The local is fighting for a more clear and effective process for when incidents arise and better protections for the CCAs working in the field. 'None of us want to strike, but we are all prepared to if that's what it takes for our issues to be addressed. We believe in the value of home support to the health care system; we know how important it is to help people stay in their homes longer. We deserve fair pay; we deserve a safe working environment; and we deserve stable working hours,' finished Lewis-Pierrard. CUPE 4354 is the third CUPE Home Support local to take a positive strike vote. :so/cope491 View source version on CONTACT: For more information, please contact: Kathy MacLeod CUPE Home Support Sector Coordinator (902) 578-3304 Trish Lewis-Pierrard CUPE 4354 President (902) 317-0136 Taylor Johnston CUPE Atlantic Communications Representative [email protected] KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANAGED CARE PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT LABOR HEALTH SOURCE: CUPE Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/27/2025 09:35 AM/DISC: 05/27/2025 09:34 AM
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Both Air Force CCAs now in ground testing, expected to fly this summer
General Atomics announced Monday that ground testing of its YFQ-42A began earlier this month, and the collaborative combat aircraft is expected to have its first flight this summer. In a statement, General Atomics said their CCA's ground testing began May 7. 'The YFQ-42A is an exciting next step for our company,' David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautics Systems, said in a statement. 'It reflects many years of partnership with the U.S. Air Force of advancing unmanned combat aviation for the United States and its allies around the world, and we're excited to begin ground testing and move to first flight.' The announcement follows the Air Force's revelation May 1 that Anduril Industries' CCA, the YFQ-44A, had also started its ground testing. Anduril also expects its CCA to start flight tests this summer. CCAs are uncrewed, semi-autonomous drones that will fly alongside aircraft like the F-35 and F-47, also known as Next Generation Air Dominance. Their purpose is to expand the reach of the Air Force's limited fleet of crewed fighters and conduct missions, such as strike operations, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and to serve as decoys. The Air Force chose General Atomics and Anduril to design, build and test the first iteration of CCAs in April 2024. General Atomics' YFQ-42A is derived from its XQ-67 Off-Board Sensing Station drone, which the Air Force Research Laboratory flew in 2024 to test a 'platform sharing' construction concept. That drone was built on a chassis that could be used as a foundation for multiple drones, which the company and AFRL said could allow drones to be built en masse and more cheaply. Anduril's YFQ-44A was previously called Fury, and the company uses its Lattice operating system for its autonomous capabilities. The service posted a graphic last week that said these first CCAs would have a combat radius of more than 700 nautical miles and stealth comparable to the F-35's. The Air Force wants to have at least 1,000 CCAs. The Air Force also plans to locate its first CCA aircraft readiness unit — which will keep them in a 'fly-ready status' for rapid deployment — at Beale Air Force Base in California. Because CCAs would not need to be flown regularly to keep pilots trained, the Air Force expects the drones would only be flown a minimal amount of times. That means Beale's unit would likely need fewer support airmen than crewed aircraft require, such as maintainers, the service said. But both Anduril's and General Atomics' CCAs may not end up being in the Air Force's fleet. The service plans to choose next year which of those CCAs to move into production and start to develop the next 'increment' of the drones.
