The 130 continuing care workers at Hawthorne Optima Living are holding a rally on Thursday, April 10, to raise awareness of their ongoing struggle to secure a new collective agreement for AUPE Local 048 Chapter 055.
Employees are encouraging residents to come out and show their support. The rally runs from 1:30 to 3 p.m., adjacent to the continuing care facility in the Fireside community.
“It’ll be two years in September that we’ve been trying to negotiate with these new owners, and we’re just not coming to an agreement,” said Shawna Eagles, AUPE chapter chair. “We’re basically asking for a pay raise and for our medical and dental to be covered, and they just don’t want to match it.”
She said the centre will function as normal during the protest. On-duty staff will come out during their breaks, and off-duty employees, like herself, will be there for the duration of the rally. They will be joined by fellow AUPE members.
“We’re operating as normal — it’s not a strike — it’s to let the public know and maybe push the owners to please sign a contract,” she said. “We’re not asking for much. We’d basically be happy if they give us our appropriate rate of pay, which is about $26 an hour, and cover our medical and dental. At this point, they only want to cover 50 per cent.”
“They’ve got us multitasking,” she added. “We’re health-care aides, but we’re also giving out medication, cleaning rooms, washing, serving food, washing dishes, doing laundry. We’re wearing about six or seven different hats.”
The employees are currently paid around $21.50 per hour. They say the industry rate is typically between $24 and $26.
In fall 2023, Optima took over the Hawthorne operations from Saint Elizabeth Health Care and signed a letter of understanding that protected nursing care entitlements for the staff. It was based on the collective agreement used at a Lac La Biche workplace as a temporary measure and ensured no AUPE member would lose employment with the changeover.
In October 2024, the AUPE negotiating team reported that the latest offer was unacceptable and one closer to what they were seeking had been pulled from the table.
“The employer has repeatedly delayed bargaining and made woefully low offers hoping to wear us down,” states an AUPE update issued Oct. 22, 2024.
Eagles said it’s been so long that they are now seeking retroactive pay.
“It’s a peaceful rally. We want to let them know we’re not going to back down, because we’ve sat idle and quiet for six years,” said Eagles, who has been employed at the centre since it opened in 2019.