Workers at Vision Nursing Home want to negotiate a fair collective agreement and are asking for a respectful workplace.
Members of Unifor Local 302 set up information pickets at the home at Brock St. and Wellington St. Wednesday, carrying signs that said "Fix Staffing Now" and "Treat Others As You Would Want To Be Treated."
Unifor Chairperson Shelly Yates says the residents deserve to be treated with dignity and respect -- and the same respect should be shown to employees.
"We're here because we're working short and we're putting the residents at risk and staff at risk of being injured," says Yates. "We're just hoping for better staffing levels and from the government more time and for residents to get care."
Currently, Yates says four staff per floor are assigned during the day and three at night to care for 32 residents.
"If we have three staff per floor, that's 11 residents you're supposed to get up in two hours -- which is ten minutes per resident. I can't even get myself ready in ten minutes, let alone someone who needs total care."
She says full time staff often work 16-hour days and are experiencing unprecedented levels of fatigue because of the increased workload.
"When new students come in, they don't expect the workload to be heavy -- with aggressive residents and the amount of care that we give. It's very intimidating. They come in, they might come a couple days, and their gone. They're not expecting it to be so demanding and so heavy -- and it's scary."
Yates says staff will not withhold services and will continue to provide a quality level of care during the labour dispute.
