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CUPE long-term care workers

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CUPE warns Stellarton care home workers could return to strike

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Workers at Valley View Villa in Stellarton say a strike could resume as contract talks stall over concessions the employer wants added to a new deal, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

CUPE says staff at the Pictou County long-term care home spent nine weeks on strike and six weeks in renewed local negotiations, but the employer, High Crest Enterprises, is still seeking changes the union argues would leave workers with terms worse than their current contract.

The union says those concessions include changes to how vacation time is earned, which could reduce available vacation, and adjustments to health insurance coverage.

Betty Best, president of CUPE Local 2330, said workers fought alongside long-term care staff across Nova Scotia for better wages, but the employer now wants them to accept concessions before receiving the wage increases negotiated at the provincial lead table.

High Crest Enterprises is not represented by Health Association Nova Scotia (HANS), which means Valley View Villa is not required to follow the provincial lead table agreement that covers most long-term care homes in the province.

CUPE long-term care coordinator Kim Cail said that while only homes represented by HANS must follow the protocol, employers have historically accepted the same deal to keep wages and benefits consistent across Nova Scotia.

Cail said this round of bargaining is different because the employer is seeking concessions that must be accepted before workers can receive the wage improvements negotiated at the provincial level.

CUPE LTC Strike

Tentative deal halts 8‑week N.S. long‑term care strike

A tentative agreement has been reached in Nova Scotia’s long‑term care strike after eight weeks on the picket lines, according to the union representing the workers.

In a social media update Saturday night, the CUPE Nova Scotia Long Term and Community Care Committee said its lead table bargaining team reached a tentative deal.

The union said the agreement followed nearly 12 hours of negotiations between CUPE Local 1082 and St. Vincent’s Nursing Home.

The union said picket lines will stand down and members could return to work as early as Monday.

CUPE said the agreement must be ratified under the provincial Lead Table Protocol, with Local 1082 voting first.

The union said it hopes to complete that vote within 72 hours, and details of the deal will not be shared with other locals until that step is finished.

CUPE said the strike will resume if members reject the agreement.

The strike began on April 13 and involves roughly 3,600 long‑term care workers across 36 facilities.

CUPE has said wages have been the central issue throughout months of bargaining and eight weeks of strike action.

CUPE Strikers in St Peter’s

Community supports CUPE long-term care workers by joining picket line

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About a dozen people who live in the community of St. Peter’s joined the CUPE picket line today.

They came out to support the thousands of CUPE long-term care employees who are on strike fighting for higher pay.

The labour dispute is into its eighth week.

Vice President of Local 1782, Laurie Pottie, tells us she is thankful the community came out to support them.

“I feel like for the past seven weeks, we’ve been left alone out here on this line to fight for a fight that was never fair in the first place,” she explains.

Pottie says she and her peers from Richmond Villa in St. Peter’s support each other and boost morale by hugging and dancing on the picket line.

Dietary Aid, Donna Cavanagh, shares with us she believes staff needs to be paid a fair wage.

“This should have never happened. Support staff deserve more than $18.77 an hour. We’re almost to a minimum wage. That is absolutely ridiculous,” she expresses.

“Tim Houston and Barb Adams need to step up the plate and get us back to work, where we belong.”

Pottie and Cavanagh both hope an agreement is reached before arbitration steps in to get a resolution to this fight.

CUPE said the government’s offer was tabled and rejected on May 7.

On Wednesday, May 27, the province’s Chief Conciliation and Mediation Officer, Peter Lloyd, pulled the plug on discussions and there were no new dates set to resume negotiations.

The union said last week another long-term care home is set to join the strike that currently has over 3,600 workers walking the picket lines.

With files from Natalie Chiasson.