No deal reached in CUPE strike, N.S. long-term care workers remain on picket lines

Nova Scotia and CUPE walked away from the bargaining table without ending the long-term care strike.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says a deal has not been reached in the ongoing long-term care workers strike in Nova Scotia.

On Thursday, it was announced the union and the provincial government agreed to return to the bargaining table.

Both sides bargained into early Friday morning, but to no avail.

Barbara Adams, minister of seniors and long-term care, said in a statement to CTV News they were optimistic because CUPE indicated they had a different offer.

“We were very disappointed when their offer and ask was more than what they had already asked for, which was more than double what the government was offering,” said Adams.

The minister said there are no more bargaining dates. “We want CUPE union members to have an opportunity to vote on the offer that has been accepted by other CUPE union members,” says Adams.

CUPE long-term care coordinator Kim Cail said the latest development is disappointing.

“We were just too far apart to manage to reach a deal,” she told CTV News.

“The union significantly moved off what their monetary position was back in March, so it was lowered quite a bit, but we were still looking for adjustments for every classification to bring them up closer to a living wage,” said Cail.

She mentioned the province brought the exact same deal they had tabled before, with slight additions that didn’t meet the mark.

Cail added they’re hosting webinars Friday at 4 and 7 p.m., “we will again, be transparent with our members which we have been right straight ahead with this process.”

“We went to the table, presenting two counter offers with different wages that would bring our lowest paid workers closer to a living wage, but were met with little movement,” she added in a news release.

“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.”

CUPE, which represents 52 long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia, has said its major focus is improved wages for workers.

“I’ve been really discouraged from working in long-term care,” said Kimberley Watson, a housekeeper at Glasgow Hall. “It’s hard, I haven’t been away, I don’t go on trips. My money goes on my rent, I try to find the cheapest I can for food.”

She says she loves what she does, taking care of vulnerable people. “But we’re exhausted, we’re always short, we need to be treated fairly,” said Watson.

Tabatha Khoury’s father has been in Glasgow Hall for a little more than a year.

“I’ve been witnessing things that you wouldn’t want any family member or friend to go through,” she says.

Unclean rooms, beds, and bedsheets are some of the problems she lists.

“My father and my family provided a really good upbringing for us and a great life,” she says. “It’s really sad when my father’s on his end stages of brain cancer and this is the life that I’m able to provide for him.”

The strike, which began on April 13, continues, with Shoreham Village in Chester, N.S., joining the picket lines Friday.

CUPE says two more homes are set to join next week.

The following 32 long-term care facilities are currently on strike:

• Lunenburg Home for Special Care in Lunenburg
• Grand View Manor in Berwick
• Magnolia Continuing Care Centre in Enfield
• Shiretown and Ivey’s Terrace Nursing Homes in Trenton
• Maple Hill Manor in New Waterford
• Saint Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax
• Harbourstone Enhanced Care in Sydney River
• Ocean View Continuing Care in Eastern Passage
• Admiral and White Hills Long Term Care Centres in Halifax
• Maplestone Enhanced Care in Halifax
• Alderwood Rest Home in Baddeck
• Richmond Villa in St. Peter’s
• Northside Community Guest Home in North Sydney
• Bayside Home in Barrington
• Seaview Manor in Glace Bay
• Maritime Odd Fellows in Pictou
• Valley View Villa in Stellarton
• Queen’s Manor in Liverpool
• Villa St. Joseph-du-Lac in Dayton
• Roseway Manor in Shelburne
• The Birches in Musquodoboit Harbour
• Port Hawkesbury Nursing Home in Port Hawkesbury
• Surf Lodge in Lockeport
• Ivy Meadows in Beaver Bank
• Glasgow Hall in Dartmouth
• Celtic Court in Membertou
• Bisset Court in Cole Harbour
• St. Anne Nursing Care Centre in Arichat
• Ryan Hall in Bridgewater
• The Meadows in Yarmouth
• Melville Lodge in Halifax
• Shoreham Village in Chester

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