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Increased funding from the province not going to improve services or better wages for home care workers.
Ottawa (25 Aug. 2014)—The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) is asking the residents of the Ottawa area to show that they care about home care and home care workers. They are planning an event outside the Paramed Home Health Care office in Ottawa for noon on Wedneday, August 27th.
Riches for the CEO but poverty level wage for home care workers
In 2012, the CEO of Extendicare earned $1.129 million in compensation by providing services largely paid for by the public. The mostly women who do the front-line work for Extendicare’s home care division in Renfrew County have been offered a deal that will extend the freeze on their wages to five years.
Starting wage for a home support worker at Paramed Home Healthcare is $12.88 an hour — not nearly enough to take them out of poverty.
Increased funding from the province
This comes at a time when the government is increasing funding to home care specifically to retain and recruit staff in the sector.
OPSEU/NUPGE is asking "should public dollars support the millionaire CEO or the front line nurses and personal support workers who provide bedside care?"
The union is urging people to join them for a noon-hour picket outside Paramed’s Ottawa office August 27th because we all care about home care.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE