Despite heavy opposition from delegates, council is going ahead with the outsourcing of janitorial staff at the Huron Lodge long-term care facility.
The change affects 16 full-time and 19 part-time workers resulting in an annual savings of $605,000.
The city will spend $1.9-million to transition the 16 full-timers to other jobs meaning the savings won't be realized until 2020.
CUPE Local 543 represents the workers and union President, Mark Vander Voort, says the major concern is a drop in the level of service provided when private company Aramark Canada Limited takes over.
Vander Voort says part time workers will have their hours cut or be let go altogether.
"There will be people that will be losers in this big time. Specifically those who are going to have their hours cut by a third to a half. I don't know how they're going to continue to make their payments. I don't know how they're going to continue to survive and I don't know how they're going to continue to support their families and themselves."
CUPE Local 543 President, Mark Vander Voort, addresses council (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
Vander Voort fears for the full time workers close to retirement.
"I'm going to bounce you around. I'm going to disrespect you and you're going to retire. And you're going to retire because you got fed up. Not because you wanted to retire. Not because you've decided this is the time to go. You're leaving and you're leaving with a bad taste in your mouth, but you're getting out."
He says nobody wins with this change.
"I think council took a beating over this. I think there was a a lot of calls and complaints over it. My members are going to take quite a beating now. I think Huron Lodge is going to suffer because they're going to have new faces in there all the time and strange faces and they're not going to be accustomed to that and the expectation of service will suffer."
The motion passed in a 6-5 split vote with Mayor Drew Dilkens and councillors Paul Borrelli, Joanne Gignac, Ed Sleiman, Fred Francis and Hilary Payne all stating the savings to the taxpayer cannot be ignored.
Huron Lodge currently has 244 residents and a waiting list of up to two years.