Strike vote for 4,100 nursing home workers next week

More than 4,100 unionized nursing home workers across New Brunswick will vote next week on whether to go on strike after the sides reached an impasse in contract talks. 

Workers at 45 non-profit nursing homes in the province are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The 45 locals are collectively represented by the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions. 

Patrick Roy, co-ordinator with the council, said the sides are in a required "cooling off period" that ends Monday, the earliest date the union could legally hold a strike vote.

Roy said a strike vote has been scheduled for March 7.

The workers include licensed practical nurses, resident attendants, support services such as dietary and laundry workers, and some clerical workers. Registered nurses would not be affected. 

Contract expired in 2016

Talks have been going on between CUPE and the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, the employer, since 2016, when the last collective agreement expired. 

The association receives funding from the province to pay nursing home employees.

A tentative agreement between negotiators that proposed pay in line with hospital workers was rejected by CUPE members in May 2018. Talks were delayed by the provincial election last fall. 

Simon Ouellette, a spokesperson for CUPE in New Brunswick, said the hospital standard is annual pay increases of one per cent. He said the union is seeking increases beyond the cost of living. 

Conciliation talks resulted in a report filed with Trevor Holder, the province's labour minister. Roy said the minister declared a deadlock in talks in a Feb. 22 letter. 

Impasse reached

Jodi Hall, executive director of the association, said in a written statement that the offer rejected in 2018 remains on the table. 

"As a result of CUPE's rejection, and our inability to offer money beyond the standard set by the Hospital sector, we have reached an impasse," Hall said in the statement. 

The province did not directly respond to the funding issue in a statement on Thursday. 

Erin Illsley, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, said in a statement the province respects the collective bargaining process "and remains optimistic that an agreement will be reached" between the sides.

Hall said the association is committed to advocating for improved hours of care and other improvements that fall outside bargaining. 

"We are deeply committed to ensuring the safety of residents in the event of any job action, and have undertaken significant planning to support and protect residents and families," Hall stated. 

Roy said residents are of the utmost importance to the workers.

"If we did take a (job) action, unfortunately the people who face the brunt of the action is the clients," he said.

"The nursing home staff don't want to do that. If they have to, they will. The whole goal is to ramp up pressure so that we can return to the table and hopefully get a deal without an interruption of service."

Stress on families

Cecile Cassista, executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents' Rights, said a strike could be hard on residents and their families.

She called for the provincial government to do what's necessary to avoid a strike. 

"They have a big role to play here, and I think they need to avoid a labour dispute," she said.