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N.S. doubles down for CUPE to have long-term workers vote on deal as strike continues

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The provincial government is doubling down on their call for the union representing thousands of striking long-term care workers, to have them vote on the deal presented.

Roughly 3,300 CUPE members from 34 facilities across Nova Scotia have been on strike since April 13, fighting for higher wages.

After a cabinet meeting Thursday, Premier Tim Houston told reporters he doesn’t know why CUPE doesn’t allow their members to vote on the deal when 27,000 others have accepted it.

“I suspect they have some concerns about what would happen at that vote,” said Houston.

He said he hears from members that they want to vote on it.

“It’s my position and it stands,” said Houston.

It was on May 8 when CUPE and the province went back to the table. Seniors Minister Barb Adams said they went into bargaining with good faith, but no deal was reached.

“Unfortunately, for some reason CUPE is insisting that they don’t want to share all of the details with their members,” said Adams. “They are adamant that they’re not going to let them vote.”

Adams said the union has not asked to go back to the bargaining table since.

“We’re speaking with them on a daily basis, encouraging them to take the amended offer to their members and share full details with them,” explained Adams. “To allow them to have their say.”

Meantime, CUPE has maintained that the deal offered is not good enough and they went into talks two weeks ago hopeful, but that hope quickly died.

In a news release, Thursday, the union said members continue to show commitment to their demands, with another long-term care home expected to join the fight this week.

Workers at MacGillivary Guest House in Sydney will be the 35th local to join job action.

They will walk out May 22 at 7 a.m.

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Staff, families share personal stories as long-term care crisis drags on amid strike

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Long-term care workers and families across Nova Scotia are now sharing personal stories from inside nursing homes as the strike continues, offering a closer look at the pressures they say are becoming too much to bear.

For weeks, staff have been advocating for themselves, standing in solidarity with CUPE locals from Yarmouth to Cape Breton for fair wages. Members say the exhaustion is becoming too much, and many feel left out to dry by government officials.

Many are sharing their own experiences on CUPE’s website, featuring stories about the long-term care crisis. Highlights include the meaning of their work as nurses, the mental toll it takes, and the daily struggles they face trying to pay bills on low wages while being chronically understaffed.

One story posted by Wilma F. from Inverness begins, “I have worked in LTC for 51 years and I have witnessed firsthand the lack of decent wages, respect, and fairness given to those workers.”

There are now more than 7,500 posts from members, families, and community members have been submitted to the site, according to CUPE.

CUPE says a recent public poll found that 91% of respondents agree that long-term care workers deserve a living wage, and 71% support the workers in the strike. They add only 22% believe the government’s offer is fair and Nova Scotia cannot afford to pay more than what was offered.

They say the growing number of stories highlights the urgent need for action to guarantee safe staffing levels and what they call a “true” living wage for all workers.

With more than 10,000 signatures on their petition and 8,500 emails sent to government officials, the union says there is still no word on when—or if—members will see a new offer.

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Police presence at long-term care picket in Arichat, strike enters 6th week

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There was a police presence in Arichat Tuesday morning as CUPE members entered their sixth week of strike action.

Thirty-four facilities are now on the picket lines with 3,300 workers fighting for higher wages after job action began April 13.

Union members from St. Anne’s tell Acadia News they changed locations to the St. Anne building under construction after receiving support from construction workers on site who are with a different union.

Mike Samson says after they set up shop, they were shocked when those members tried to cross their picket line.

“We’ve had different union members that have shown up here and they were like stunned that other union members would actually cross our picket line. They said they’ve been members for years and years and years and never in their lifetime would they have imagined that other unions would cross the picket line,” he said.

In response, Samson says, they tried to block the other union members from crossing their line, but police were called.

He says officers warned them they can’t prohibit others or they would be charged with mischief.

“So, we decided to let them in,” says Samson. “[Officers] weren’t really concerned about us being here because we were having a peaceful protest.”

“They were more concerned about letting the trucks off the road to not cause an accident.”

In a statement to our newsroom, RCMP say they were called to a protest on Highway 206, but no arrests were made.

“Public safety and security for all remain our top priority and officers proactively discussed public safety with those present,” says RCMP in a statement.

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CUPE calls on all locals to put pressure on N.S. heading into week six of strike

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The union that represents long-term care workers is pushing for members from all sectors to put pressure on the province to come back to the table as the strike gets closer to week six.

About 3,000 workers from 34 nursing homes have been on the picket lines since April 13 fighting for higher wages.

Now, the president of CUPE wants to bring together 23,000 members from all professions to come up with a plan at a Town Hall slated for Monday.

In a letter to members, he says the struggle is historic for workers in Nova Scotia, and although they’ve received an outpouring of public support, it’s not enough.

In an interview with Acadia News, Alan Linkletter says the next step is to get more locals involved.

“Whether it be advocating for the striking workers, talking to members of the community and talking to MLAs in their areas,” says Linkletter.

CUPE and the province went back to the table a week ago, but after several hours of talking nothing came of it.

Seniors Minister Barb Adams has been saying for weeks that the deal they have offered is fair.

The Town Hall is Monday, May 18 at 7pm on Zoom.

-with files from Jacob Moore

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2 more long-term care homes set to join CUPE strike

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Two more long-term care homes in the province are expected to join the strike that is now in week five.

They are Inverary Manor in Inverness and Foyer Pere Fiset in Cheticamp. They are set to walk off the job, Thursday.

CUPE says it means roughly 3,300 members from 34 homes will be on the picket lines.

They have been fighting for higher wages with a second round of talks that failed between the union and the province last week.

CUPE says they went to the table hopeful but that hope, “quickly died”.

Meantime, Senior’s Minister Barb Adams says the deal proposed by the union was not feasible.

Workers walked off the job, April 13.

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N.S. says long-term care union proposal ‘not feasible’ after talks fail

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Nova Scotia’s senior’s minister says the latest deal the union representing long-term care workers presented, was not feasible.

The statement by Barb Adams, Friday, comes four weeks after 3,000 CUPE members walked the picket lines and another round of bargaining.

Adams says they were optimistic when the union approached her office with an amended deal, Thursday.

“CUPE has been asking for almost double what has already been accepted by 27,500 employees working in home care, acute care and long term,” says Adams. “When we returned to the table, CUPE leadership started by asking for even more.”

She says the offer on the table includes:

  • wage increases of at least 12 to 24 per cent
  • retroactive pay dating back to 2023, meaning thousands of dollars in worker’s pockets right away
  • a 70 per cent increase in shift and weekend premiums, effective upon ratification
  • funding to enroll in a defined benefit pension plan for facilities that do not currently have one in place

Adams says the government calls on CUPE to “stop moving the goal post” and let their members vote on the offer presented.

Meanwhile, CUPE says they went into talks hopeful but that hope quickly died.

In a statement, Long Term Care Coordinator Kim Cail says, “The new offer which expires in 2028 was better than the last but would still leave support at just over $23 by the end. That’s not a living wage now and it certainly won’t be in 2028.”

The strike continued Friday with the addition of CUPE 3454 Shoreham Village, with two more next week to walk off the job, to make 32 facilities.

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UPDATE: Talks stall less than 24 hours after long-term care workers return to table

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8:30 a.m. UPDATE: CUPE members and government officials agreed to resume negotiations late Thursday afternoon, but by early Friday morning, the union announced that no deal was reached.

CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Kim Cail says, “The new offer, which expires in 2028, was better than the last, but would still leave support classifications at just over $23 by the end. That’s not a living wage now and it certainly won’t be in 2028.”

The strike will continue with CUPE 3454 Shoreham Village joining the picket lines today
and 2 more set to join next week.

The provincial government has agreed to return to the bargaining table with CUPE, marking a key shift after four weeks of strike action by long-term care workers.

CUPE members announced the development yesterday afternoon following a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, who criticized the government’s handling of the dispute and said care workers deserve greater investment.

Workers say the move brings some relief, though many remain exhausted after weeks without a living wage and the ongoing strain of balancing care work with pressures at home and on their finances.

“We’re happy to hear that the government is willing to get back to the table,” said Long-Term and Community Care Committee Chair Christa Sweeney. “We look forward to negotiating in good faith and reaching a deal that everyone can support.”

MAY 7

Update: LTC workers and province will return to bargaining table as strike approaches one month

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UPDATE: After this story was first published, CUPE and the provincial government agreed to return to the bargaining table on Thursday afternoon. The comments in this story were made prior to that agreement being reached. The union says it’s hopeful renewed negotiations will lead to progress toward a deal.

Long-term care workers across Nova Scotia say they’re exhausted, cold, and soaked after nearly four weeks on rainy picket lines, with no clear end to the strike in sight.

Ty Loppie, CUPE Nova Scotia’s vice-president for the long-term care committee, says workers feel the seniors minister is not taking them seriously.

She says, “It’s very obvious that she doesn’t care about the workers, she doesn’t care about the seniors that are in long-term care, and she’s just been spreading a lot of misinformation.”

According to Loppie, Minister Barb Adams has been telling the public that workers don’t understand what’s in the deal being offered, but Loppie assures that everyone understood before taking action.

“They voted to go on strike because they didn’t like the deal. She [Adams] has gone out of her way to post the deal package in the workplaces and she’s still saying that the members don’t know what was in the package,” she explains, frustrated. “It’s so baffling, the disrespect that we’re experiencing. You would think as the minister of seniors and long-term care would care, but she’s ignoring us.”

‘What’s being offered is simply offensive and insulting’

Krista Sweeney, chair of the long-term care committee, says the strike isn’t about money, but about the toll chronic understaffing and low pay are taking on workers’ lives.

Sweeney says workers “spend their days caring for families and then go home worrying about how to care for their own. Starving and exhausted people cannot provide top-notch care, no matter how much they want to. That’s the heart of this issue.”

In a statement to our newsroom on Wednesday, Minister Adams made it clear she does not plan to return to the bargaining table any time soon.

‘We are here because this government refuses to sit down and make an agreement with long-term care workers’, says NDP

Meanwhile, Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender hosted CUPE representatives at Province House Thursday morning where she criticized the provincial government’s handling of the dispute and its broader approach to long-term care.

Chender states, “Tim Houston has spent billions of dollars on Healthcare infrastructure, but he and Barb Adams don’t seem to think that the people providing that care are worth the investment.”

She added that many Nova Scotian’s initially trusted the government’s promise to fix health care, but that conditions have only continued to deteriorate.

“They’ve given the Houston government the benefit of the doubt and trusted that their promise to fix healthcare was moving forward, but five years in and long-term care workers face constant staffing shortages that impact the care.”

As of now, there is still no timeline from the province on when the strike could come to an end, leaving thousands of workers on the picket lines and long-term care facilities operating under continued strain.

MAY 1

Exhaustion mounting for long-term care workers after three weeks on picket lines

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Long-term care workers say exhaustion is setting in as they balance demanding jobs caring for vulnerable residents and rain-soaked shifts on the picket lines.

Ronald O’Toole, a maintenance worker at St. Vincent’s, says early optimism has faded since the strike started on April 13th as physical and emotional strain grows while they fight for higher wages.

“We had a lot of optimism on the first couple days, maybe even the first week, but I think it’s kind of weaned off. It’s really hard to be standing out here in all kinds of weather conditions,” he says, shielding himself from the cold.

O’Toole explains his role normally spans things like plumbing, painting and maintaining residents’ rooms. Typically, three workers are on site, but since the strike began, only one remains.

On Wednesday, CUPE members say they spotted Seniors Minister Barb Adams outside Fire Station 16 in Eastern Passage, which also happens to be their headquarters.

A video posted on social media by a union member shows Adams in a car surrounded by union members as they picket. They claim she did not get out and speak to them.

O’Toole says, “[It’s difficult] for us to be out here and then to see Barb not really giving a crap about us. They just really don’t care about what we’re trying to get and what our offer is. We’re just trying to make it by.”

‘It’s hard to believe in this day and age that our government is not looking after our elderly’

CCA Dale Henneberry, who has spent more than 20 years at St. Vincent’s Care Home, says morale inside the facility is deteriorating. She tells our newsroom she regularly sees nurses in tears, overwhelmed by being unable to provide residents the care they deserve — something she says residents are keenly aware of.

“They’re residents I always talk to, and this gentleman gives me a hug every day and says, ‘can you please make this go away?’ Like, it just pulls at your heartstrings.”

Henneberry adds the lack of talks with the government is deepening the strain on both staff and families. She adds that daily routines, including meals, have been disrupted due to limited kitchen staffing.

“They’re getting a continental breakfast. A juice Box and muffins, a fruit cup. I think now they found eggs that just have to be warmed up, but they’re missing their breakfast. They’re used to having a hot breakfast every day,” she explains.

Cook Roger Lemieux says long days are becoming the norm as workers juggle shifts and strike duties.

“I work for 6 hours, then I come back out here and picket some more. And I do that every day. It’s very exhausting. So, I’ve usually put in 10 to 12 hours a day between there and here.”

Workers give up basic necessities to continue caring for residents

The financial toll is also worsening, and Henneberry says some workers are making impossible choices just to survive.

“We have people that are living in their cars and going to shelters because they can’t afford both an apartment and a vehicle to get to work. And we’re not being heard, like, it’s very discouraging.”

Despite the hardship, staff say families and community members continue to show support, often stopping by the picket lines with food and coffee. Henneberry is calling on the government to act before emotional and financial exhaustion pushes an already strained workforce to the breaking point.

Acadia News has reached out to the province for comment.

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Long-Term Care workers enter week 3 of strike for fair wages

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Hundreds of CUPE members, joined by several other unions gathered outside Province House early Monday morning to protest the Houston government’s handling of long-term care worker’s strike for fair wages.

Unions who showed support for CUPE include NS-GEU, NS Nurses Union, and NS Federation of Labour. Now, more than 3,000 long-term care (LTC) workers across Nova Scotia are entering their third week on strike, with picket lines continuing in communities across the province, and they’re saying workers are struggling to make ends meet.

CUPE strike outside Province House downtown Halifax April 27, 2026. PHOTO: NATALIE CHIASSON/ACADIA BROADCASTING

Representatives from the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour accused Premier Tim Houston and Seniors Minister Barbara Adams of failing to support frontline staff, arguing that while government leaders have “padded their own salaries to the tune of $1000s,” workers are being left behind.

CUPE strike outside Province House downtown Halifax April 27, 2026. PHOTO: NATALIE CHIASSON/ACADIA BROADCASTING

MLA Rod Wilson also criticized the province’s approach, suggesting the government is prolonging the standoff and pressuring workers to hold their ground.

“I know you can get a better paying job tomorrow, but you are doing what you do because you care about your residents. You show up every single day,” Wilson said during speeches outside the House.

He encouraged those on strike to remain firm as negotiations continue.

“Don’t let Tim Houston think he’s winning because he’s not. Barbara Adams is nowhere to be seen. You are everywhere to be seen, and we will stand with you until you get what you deserve.”

Minister Barb Adams maintains the deal is fair and that no further talks will take place. With no resolution in sight, workers who have been on strike since April 13 remain on picket lines as action continues across Nova Scotia.

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