ARBITRATOR AWARDS 16,000 ONTARIO LONG-TERM CARE WORKERS 8% WAGE INCREASE; REGISTERED PRACTICAL NURSES GET ADDITIONAL INCREASE

RICHMOND HILL, ON, Nov. 8, 2024 /CNW/ - This week, Arbitrator John Stout awarded an 8% wage increase over two years to more than 16,000 Ontario long-term care workers represented by SEIU Healthcare, Ontario's largest long-term care union. Staff included in the agreement include personal support workers, housekeeping/laundry aides, janitors, food service workers and maintenance staff. Registered practical nurses and resident assessment instrument coordinators will also see an additional $2 per hour wage increase.

In his ruling, Arbitrator Stout acknowledged "the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the deficiencies in Ontario's LTC sector", and that "there is still more that needs to be done to provide vulnerable LTC residents with the care that they deserve." One of those actions, according to SEIU Healthcare, is funding to guarantee safe staff-to-resident ratios.

"This award is a step in the right direction, but we're still a long way from adequately addressing the recruitment and retention crisis that continues to plague Ontario's healthcare system," said SEIU Healthcare Director of Long-Term Care, Ricardo McKenzie. "We know the province is currently short 50,000 PSWs and nurses, and that number is going to keep growing in the years ahead. Until the Ford government takes retention seriously to achieve the long-promised four hours of care per resident, and until greedy nursing home corporations provide middle-class wages and more full-time jobs, our seniors will continue to struggle to get the care they need and deserve."

SOURCE SEIU Healthcare