Advocates call for landmark Ontario Human Rights Commission inquiry into discrimination and denial of needed health care for the elderly

Health Care

TORONTO, ON – Ontario’s Human Rights Commission today is being urged to undertake what could be a landmark systemic public inquiry into age discrimination in the provision of health care in the province. In their letter (http://bit.ly/OHRC-letter-210316) to the Commission, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Advocacy…

More Mt. Sinai clerical workers join CUPE

Health Care, Solidarity

TORONTO, ON – Part-time clerical workers at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto have voted to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada’s largest health care union. The ballot count was delayed for more than three months by technical objections from the group’s former bargaining agent, NOWU. Finally, on March 15, the Ontario Labour Relations Board…

Car Cavalcade for the Women Workers of Hillcrest

Personal support workers (PSWs) at the Hillcrest site of the University Health Network (UHN) are paid $16.83 an hour or less, have 3 paid sick days a year, and are overwhelmingly women and racialized. This reactivation hospital takes patients from the wider UHN, where PSWs enjoy better pay and benefits. The Ontario Council of Hospital…

HEALTHCARE WORKERS LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ACTIONS WITH MESSAGE TO PREMIER FORD: “Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.”

Health Care

Unions representing 175,000 workers serving on the frontlines of this pandemic demand the Ford government support this female majority workforce TORONTO, ON – Today, SEIU Healthcare, Unifor, and CUPE, unions representing 175,000 healthcare workers across Ontario, held a virtual media conference to announce the launch of International Women’s Day actions with a clear message to…

6,000 new PSWs, “tip of what’s needed, gravity of shortage requires Ontario double number to tackle long-term care staffing crisis,” say health care unions

Health Care, Home Care

TORONTO, ON – Long-term care staffing in Ontario remains far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. The gravity of the staffing shortage requires a substantive and comprehensive recruitment, training and retention workforce strategy, say health care unions representing approximately 70,000 personal support workers (PSWs). Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction from what was announced…

Ontario’s PSW plan woefully inadequate, critics charge

COVID-19 media stories, Health Care

“Shocking,” “appalling,” “offensive” and “disappointing” are just some of the words critics are using to describe the Ontario government’s latest plan to train personal support workers (PSWs) in the province. “Their lethargy is profound…delaying training and recruitment. In the meantime nearly 4,000 residents have died in long-term care in the last year,” said Candace Rennick,…

PSWs at UHN-Hillcrest say hospital exploits them with dismal pay, back-breaking work and it must stop: CUPE

Health Care

TORONTO, ON – Toronto’s prestigious University Health Network (UHN) is exploiting personal support workers (PSWs), nurses and other health staff at their satellite hospital the Hillcrest Reactivation Centre, charged several PSWs who spoke publicly for the first time about their dismal pay and back-breaking working conditions. The three PSWs described their gruelling workloads, constant understaffing,…

Mt. Sinai clerical staff vote to join CUPE

COVID-19, Health Care

TORONTO, ON – Full-time clerical workers at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto have voted to join Canada’s largest healthcare union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The ballot count was delayed for more than three months by technical objections from the group’s former bargaining agent, NOWU. Finally, on February 8, the Ontario Labour Relations…