Make a real offer, or pick an arbitrator”- CUPE holds province-wide day of action to call out delays in negotiations with Extendicare

Markham, ON – For months, 8 CUPE locals representing over 1100 Long-Term Care workers across Ontario have been kept waiting for a fair contract. Where other workers would have been able to go on strike to force the employer back to the table, these workers are denied that right under the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act (HLDAA), forcing them into a long and drawn-out process to get a fair contract.

CUPE’s Extendicare Central Table last heard from their employer on June 29, 2026. Extendicare made an offer that would force workers to take a backseat to corporate profits, setting Long-Term Care workers across Ontario back in the process. After a summer of silence from their employer, members of CUPE’s Extendicare Central Table locals are taking to the streets outside their workplaces to call attention to the delayed process.

“Extendicare needs to make a real offer, or pick an arbitrator,” said Yolanda McClean, President of CUPE Ontario. “These delays need to stop.”

This delay effects all Long-Term Care workers in Ontario. The Extendicare Central Table has set the pattern for wages and working conditions in the sector for nearly a decade. Other employers are choosing not to engage in negotiations until the Extendicare negotiations reach a conclusion. These workers are fighting for better working conditions not just for themselves, but for all health care workers in Ontario.

Rallies took place in Sudbury, Timmins, Ottawa, Oshawa, and Toronto. More escalation is planned if Extendicare doesn’t come back to the table soon.