Sudbury laundry workers say they're 'tired of seeing jobs bled to the south'

Workers at Sudbury Hospital Services are hoping to bring their concerns to the provincial government today.

The company is laying off 38 laundry workers after Health Sciences North decided changing service providers would save the hospital half a million dollars.

Ontario Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn will be in Sudbury today on different business, but many workers are hoping to bring his attention to local matters.

"We want to approach things with a positive note," Gisele Dawson, a 21-year employee with Sudbury Hospital Services says.

"We're hoping he'll give us an opportunity to speak after his events."

Dawson created an online petition of support for her and her coworkers jobs. She says she hopes Flynn can use his provincial powers and fix the base issues.

"We're tired of seeing jobs being bled out to the south," Dawson says.

"Health Sciences North is already a northern hub. It doesn't just service Sudbury, it services all the northern cities around it. So why can't we have something here, like a shared service, to keep these jobs here and to create more jobs?"

Dawson and a CUPE representative say they haven't reached out to the provincial minister yet, but hope to get in touch with him later today.

Glimmer of hope?

This comes days after Sudbury city council decided to get involved in the laundry workers' fight.

The council will evaluate how the layoffs will affect Sudbury's economy, then send that report and a letter to provincial decision makers and Health Sciences North.

For 30-year employee Lucie St. Louis, the city's decision is a "glimmer of hope." But she's not placing too much faith in their findings.

"My biggest concern is that we only have two months to go, so I'm really hoping that it's not too late," St. Louis says.

A spokesperson from Health Science North says hospital staff respect the city's decision, and will try to accommodate their project in any way possible.