Thousands of New Brunswick nursing home workers who have been without a contract for 28 months will vote on Thursday whether to go on strike.
They include licensed practical nurses, resident attendants, housekeeping, kitchen and maintenance staff at 45 non-profit nursing homes.
Patrick Roy, CUPE’s provincial co-ordinator for nursing homes, says they are seeking “fair economic” wage increases.
“There have been at least eight years, probably longer, that they haven’t been keeping up with the cost of living,” said Roy. “We’ve had some zero and some one per cent increases.”
The provincial inflation rate is hovering at just over two per cent, Roy said.
Tentative Agreement Rejected
A tentative agreement reached last May between CUPE and the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, which represents the employers, was rejected by the workers.
Roy said they submitted a new proposal in August but talks reached a deadlock in February.
He said their main goal is to get a fair deal for nursing home workers and acknowledged the impact a strike would have on residents.
“But at the end of the day, it’s 28 months we’ve been without a contract … God forbid, but we might have to pull the plug and actually have a strike,” Roy said.
Registered nurses and nursing home management are not represented by the union and would not be impacted by a strike.
He said the union would have to give 24 hours’ notice before walking off the job.
