N.B. nursing home workers at rally call for better wage offer
4,500 workers at 51 homes across province seeking $13/hour increase over 3 years
Dozens of unionized nursing home workers rallied Monday in Moncton, saying contract talks are stalled over wages.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents almost 4,600 employees in 51 nursing homes across the province, is seeking increases over three years totalling $13 per hour.
They say they've been offered a five-year contract with hourly increases that total $1.24 for most workers.
"We deserve better," Sharon Teare, a resident attendant at a Saint John home and president of New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions, said in a speech at the rally.
The workers walked along a section of Moncton's Mountain Road to the constituency office of Ernie Steeves, the provincial finance minister.
Tammy Nadeau of Saint John, who has worked in nursing homes for 40 years, was among those who attended the rally.
Nadeau said workers have accepted contracts in the past that haven't kept up with the cost of living.
"We've taken pay cuts and now we've taken it to the point where we need the money that we're asking for here today," Nadeau, who also serves on the executive of the council of nursing home unions, said in an interview.
Nadeau and Teare said nursing home workers were hailed as heroes during the pandemic and expected a better offer.
"What's been offered at the table is nothing but an insult," Nadeau said.
The workers include licensed practical nurses, resident attendants, laundry attendants, cooks and clerks. Wages in the contract that expired in October last year ranged from $18.72 to $32.85, depending on the job and time in the position.
Contract talks have been taking place with the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, which represents the homes. However, the province is involved because it funds the operations of the homes.
Julie Weir, the CEO of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, declined to comment Monday, citing ongoing negotiations. The province also isn't commenting on the specifics of the contract talks.
According to the union, the province's offer is a six per cent increase over five years. It would equate to total hourly increases over five years of $1.24 for many roles to $1.92 for a licensed practical nurse.
Teare was coy when asked what comes next for the union.
"If I did that, I'd give up my game plan, wouldn't I?" Teare said with a laugh.
The rally echoed one in the same location just over four years ago. At the time, the workers had overwhelmingly voted in favour of a strike. However, the province had secured a court order that blocked the strike.
A judge later ruled the province's essential services law that limited the ability of nursing home workers to strike was unconstitutional.
The government passed an amended version of the law in late 2019. It created a new process for designating essential employees who would remain on duty during a strike and added a binding arbitration process.
While the union had suggested it may challenge the new version of the law, it has yet to do so.
In the aftermath, as the COVID-19 pandemic was underway, the sides reached a new agreement. That contract expired in October last year.
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