Hundreds of Healthcare Workers Rally at Extendicare Head Office to Demand More of Their Profit be Invested into Resident Care

RICHMOND HILL, ON, May 6, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, 300 frontline healthcare workers represented by SEIU Healthcare rallied at Extendicare's head office in Markham, Ontario to demand that more of their profit be invested in resident care.

The healthcare workers entered Extendicare's head office requesting to speak with executives about the current working and living conditions in Extendicare long-term care homes, but were refused the opportunity by senior management.

Extendicare made a profit of $31.7M last year from tax-payer-funded government business, while paying their executives millions in compensation. Despite these high profits, the healthcare workers in Extendicare long-term care homes are constantly operating at critically low staffing levels.

"Extendicare is increasingly making it impossible for seniors to receive quality care," said SEIU Healthcare President Sharleen Stewart. "They have the profits to hire more staff, but to this point, haven't been willing to do so. If an executive is getting rich from government business, why doesn't a senior have the right to quality care?"

SEIU Healthcare continues its open invitation to the public to join with frontline workers who are calling on for-profit long-term care and retirement home corporations like Extendicare to invest more into resident care. To learn more about the "Tell Them To Care" public advocacy campaign, visit www.tellthemtocare.ca.

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SEIU Healthcare represents more than 60,000 healthcare and community service workers across Ontario. The union's members work in hospitals, homecare, nursing and retirement homes, and community services throughout the province. SEIU Healthcare has a strong track record of improving wages, benefits and working conditions for healthcare workers, supporting the training and development needs of its members, and strengthening standards in the management and delivery of patient and client care. www.seiuhealthcare.ca

SOURCE SEIU Healthcare