Members of SEIU-West, which represents workers at the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital, Moose Jaw Home Care, Pioneer Lodge, Providence Place and the Moose Jaw Special Care Home were on the picket line on Thatcher Drive E today.
They were on site to highlight their concerns and struggles they're experiencing during the current round of bargaining as their members enter a second year without a collective bargaining agreement.
Deidre Wilson is a continuing care assistant (CCA) with the Moose Jaw Home Care and sits on the Executive Board for SEIU-West. She said that frustrations are mounting for the approximately 4,000 people represented by the union in the Moose Jaw area.
"It's been two years. They've been meeting for 16 months, and we put in our request to meet with the employer—SAHO (Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations)—back in January of 2023, and they gave us dates in October of 2024," Wilson said.
"At the beginning of May some of the CCAs and LPNs met with the Ministries of Health and the Ministry of Rural and Remote Health, and they told us to stay tuned and that they're going to come up with something. Here we are at the end of June, and we have not heard back from them."
Wilson said that matters of pay, short staffing, and employee retention continue to be key issues for their members.
"We want a fair wage increase. We haven't had a real good increase for the last 14-15 years and the cost of living has been going up and wages haven't," explained Wilson.
"We are short staffed everywhere. The overtime is atrocious, and it is all because of our wages. We need a recruitment and retention plan."
"The last time we were in bargaining, they offered us zeros and then they told us we were heroes during COVID. I think it's time that they actually showed that we are heroes and give us a substantial living wage increase."
Wilson is hoping for an agreement to be reached soon and asks the public to visit their website and to reach out to the Ministry of Health and their local representatives.
"We ask that they go to our website and show their support by going to our Backbone of Healthcare campaign," Wilson said.
"Tell them: 'Give these healthcare workers some support because everybody needs healthcare, whether it's your grandma or yourself, we all need it.'"
The SEIU-West Backbone of Healthcare campaign can be found by clicking here.