Monday, September 11, 2023 — Today members of CUPE Local 1475 in Winnipeg at Extendicare’s Oakview Place care home were joined by CUPE National President Mark Hancock, CUPE Manitoba President Gina McKay, Manitoba Federation of Labour President Kevein Rebeck, Local 204 President Debbie Boissonneault, NDP leader Wab Kinew and NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara, the Manitoba Nurses Union, and many others.
Today’s information rally kicks off three weeks of rallies outside 8 Extendicare facilities where CUPE members are at the bargaining table seeking fair wages and enough scheduled hours of work to live. Crucially, these frontline workers are seeking the same compensation paid for identical work in publicly operated care homes.
The private, for-profit care home operator Extendicare Inc. continues to distribute profits to shareholders ($41M in 2021-22), while denying fairness to its frontline care-giving staff.
There is significant disparity between the wages and contract of CUPE members working in Extendicare facilities and those working in publicly-run long-term care facilities:
- Wages are $2-4 more in the public system across classifications
- Public facility staff have access to time OT pay, compared to 1.5 time for OT for Extendicare staff
- The night shift premium is over double what Extendicare staff receive
- Extendicare staff receive $1.35-$1.50 as a weekend premium, compared to $8.00 for public facility staff
- Public facility staff can access Long Service Pay and a health spending account that are not available to Extendicare staff
- Defined benefit pensions for public facility staff with no guaranteed pensions for Extendicare staff.
