Latest news with #homeSupport
National Post
5 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
27-05-2025
- 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
27-05-2025
- 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
27-05-2025
- 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
CBC
25-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Home support should be more accessible for aging residents, says seniors' advocate
Newfoundland and Labrador's seniors' advocate says the province needs to make changes to home support to make it more financially accessible. "In our province, even people on income support, who get home support free when they turn 65, they have to pay a co-pay," Susan Walsh told reporters last week. She added home support is completely free for people over 65 in other provinces. "We know there's many seniors who go ... into personal care homes because they can't afford the co-pay." Walsh recently released a report calling on the province to overhaul seniors' care in the province. Home support in Newfoundland and Labrador is available to those over 65, along with adults or children with disabilities or those who require end of life care, who require assistance with daily living. Walsh says changes need to be made to allow for more people to access care outside of those with a personal care need. She also believes changes could keep more people in their homes. "We have seniors who can't cook for themselves, who are unable to clean their homes, and they don't qualify if they can still bathe themselves, for example. That doesn't make any sense," Walsh said. "What does it take to keep people healthy and home? And that's the way we should be approaching home support." Speaking with reporters outside the House of Assembly on Thursday, Premier John Hogan told reporters allowing seniors to age in their homes is a priority of his government. "If we do manage to keep people at home, it keeps them out of personal care homes. It keeps them out of long-term care homes… it keeps them out of hospitals," Hogan said. Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell says the province is always seeking improvements but did commit to making support more financially accessible. "That's always something that we are working on doing and there are a number of factors that weigh into that," Howell said. "Right now, we've been able to offer significant supports to individuals who need that support in their homes, or in the agencies or personal care homes." However, any legislative change to seniors' care wouldn't happen until at least the fall, as the current House of Assembly sitting closed on Thursday.
