Steph Armstrong
Staff Reporter
Barry’s Bay – Valley Manor long-term care home workers mobilize to improve conditions for facility staff and its 80 senior residents.
On April 19, staff at Valley Manor held a demonstration to bring greater community awareness to their circumstance. Valley Manor’s 87 member team of personal support workers, dietary aides, and housekeeping staff are members of the United Steelworkers Union (USW) Local 6946-12 and have been attempting to negotiate a fair contract with their employer for several months now.
“These workers simply want a contract that is fair for everyone – the residents, the home and the staff,” said USW Ontario Director, Myles Sullivan. “All they want is the respect and dignity of a fair contract that recognizes the vital contributions they have been making to Valley Manor and it’s residents throughout the pandemic.”
While the CEO of Valley Manor Long Term Care, Trish DesLaurier was unable to comment on the pending arbitration in detail, she “recognizes the hard work and dedication of all our employees at all times; particularly during the pandemic.”
Outside the facility, the workers were sporting blue scrubs. As a group, the workers have been wearing blue scrubs every Tuesday as a show of solidarity with their bargaining team, and to demonstrate to their employer the ongoing need to improve conditions for both the staff and residents.
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