@SEIUHEALTHCAN

President of Barrie Federal Liberal Association writes to Premier & Health Minister in support of J4PSWS

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In a significant mark of solidarity, Mark Jessop, President of the BFLA wrote the following letter to Premier Wynne, Hon. Deb Matthews, as well as the MP & MPP of Barrie.

Hello and Holiday greetings to all of you,

I would like to bring to your attention the on-going strike by the Red Cross/CarePartners personal support workers in Ontario. We hear increasingly from the field and all levels of governments that home-care is a growing need across the country, and that it is vital to sustained universal healthcare in this country. The focus, however, seems to rest on the people receiving such care without much thought given to the people, mostly women, who minister to ill and elderly people who are released from hospital and need care at home. Such workers are paid barely above minimum wage and their level of pay maxes out at $15.00 an hour. Furthermore, their travel expenses from one patient to the next are not compensated at the standard rate, and therefore they have to pay out of their own pocket to cover some of the cost of doing their work.

I invite you to visit www.justice4PSWs.ca and learn more about the people in Ontario providing a very important service to citizens in need. I also urge you to apply pressure on the Red Cross and CarePartners to return to the negotiating table and address these issues in good faith. If not, citizens in dire need will suffer from lack of care and very valuable, trained, and caring personnel will be leaving the profession.

We, as caring Canadians and Ontarians, cannot let this situation fester any longer.

Thank you.

Mark Jessop

President

Barrie Federal Liberal Association

In solidarity we stand: A recap of today’s fight for justice.

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“Justice for?”

“PSWs!”

“JUSTICE FOR?”

“PSWS!!!”

From Toronto to Thunder Bay, all over and in between, we heard the chants of our strong PSWs, homecare workers, and union allies. Hundreds of PSWs gathered in picket lines in key locations all over Ontario. At City Hall in Toronto we marched up to Queen’s Park, bringing traffic to a halt in some places, and with the supportive horns from passerby truck drivers! Imagine the scene! The crowd was happy to hear from SEIU Healthcare’s leadership as well as from supportive politicians MPP  France Gelinas (Health Critic) and Toronto City Councillor Mike Layton.

Follow our J4PSWs blog for the latest stories and photos and from the picket lines!

THANK YOU to all who came out to rally and cheer, and THANK YOU to those who stayed strong in the cold weather and showed amazing solidarity to make this strike strong from the beginning.  The message that was sent out all over the province was loud and clear: WE WANT JUSTICE FOR PSWS.

Newspapers, radio, and TV are reporting from our picket lines and talking to our president Sharleen Stewart. Ontarians are hearing from you.

Every moment that you are outside with your fellow brothers and sisters, our message to the employer and the public becomes stronger: we stand united for better working conditions and for respect for the benefit of ALL. We look forward to seeing you on the picket line on DAY TWO of the strike!

To update your contact information, call the Member Resource Centre (MRC) at 1-877-672-7348.

In solidarity,

Your Justice4PSWs Team

Rallying for the rights of others: A selfless testimony

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Today we met hundreds of PSWs who represented all ages, backgrounds and levels of service. It was apparent that some people strike because they have no choice—they have mouths to feed, they have children to clothe, they have bills to pay. Some people strike out of desperation. And then there are those who march in solidarity with their fellow PSWs and homecare workers. Amongst the crowd was Stephanie Balkwill from Coldwater, Ontario. Having served the Ministry of Community and Social Services for over 26 years, Stephanie had saved enough for herself, and was living comfortably. What’s surprising is that for the past two years, Stephanie has worked as a PSW for Red Cross. “I tried to stay at home,” she explained, “but the need is too great. Families are moving away from small towns and [the elderly] are left in dire straits. People need to be cared for and [the government and RCCP] have to know that this is a huge need. We need to help our elders, parents, mothers, fathers, sick husbands and wives.” As a PSW, Stephanie visits, on average, 12 homes a day. She drives from home to home without adequate compensation. [A story that is now the hallmark of PSWs who work for RCCP]. Stephanie expressed gratitude to SEIU Healthcare for defending the rights of PSW workers, and for keeping workers united. She emphatically emphasized that she was not on strike for herself, but for her fellow PSW workers.