Workers at two long-term care facilities in Windsor-Essex are voicing anger and frustration over what's being called 'serious problems' with getting paid for the work they do.
Unifor Local 2458 represents approximately 250 registered practical nurses and personal support workers at Extendicare Tecumseh and Extendicare Southwood Lakes.
During a rally Tuesday outside the Tecumseh home at 2415 St. Alphonse St., workers highlighted ongoing issues regarding incorrect pay, terminated benefits, and cancelled insurance.
Dina Roushanroz, Unifor Local 2458 2nd Vice President, calls it incredibly disappointing that they have to rally to get Extendicare to follow the collective agreement and ensure members' paychecks are correct.
Roushanroz says the membership is sick and tired of their payroll being messed up and stat and holiday days not being paid out when they should have had it.
"The members are fed up. They go, and they ask for help when their payroll is messed up, and instead of being apologetic, they get a lot of condescending behaviour and attitude towards them. They feel they have to beg for the money that they earned," she says.
"We have been more than patient with this company, allowing them time to get their configuration right, but at some point, enough is enough, and our members need to be heard. This is long-term care; they can't strike, so this is our recourse," she says.
The workers and the company just ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in November 2024, which runs until August 2026.
Roushanroz says these issues were raised during the most recent contract talks.
"That was one of the major things we brought to them, the payroll errors. A lot of these members are single parents; they can't afford to not have their pay paid out to them. If they're missing a day or two or three, that's the difference between paying their rent or groceries for some of these people," she says.
The union plans to pursue any avenue they can to hold the employer accountable, including filing grievances and arbitration.
A statement provided to AM800 News by an Extendicare spokesperson says, "There are system issues related to compensation that impact a limited number of team members. We are actively working with our union partners and the affected team members to fully resolve them. We apologize to those impacted and appreciate the collaboration of our union partners as we address these concerns."