Crowd rallies against lay-offs at Regency Park long term care home

Layoffs at Regency Park long-term care home The company that owns Regency Park long-term care home downtown has issued notices to seven staff. Ricardo Veneza reports.

CUPE Ontario showed its solidarity with a downtown Windsor long-term care home Friday, rallying against what the union says are layoffs.

About 100 people. Including CUPE members who were in town for a conference, came out to support seven workers who the union says were due to be laid off at Regency Park long-term care home.

Those seven workers were advised they would be laid off as of Friday.

“I put 34 years in and my goal is to retire there, very upsetting, frustrated and angry,” said Regency Park dietary aid Antonietta Montaleone.

According to one of those affected employees, six of them have found different positions within the company. However, some are moving to part-time while others are having their working hours adjusted.

The union says it was told by UniversalCare Canada that the affected employees were being laid off because they’re over-budgeted due to hiring too many agency staff during the pandemic.

CUPE union representatives are accusing the company of union-busting practices and have filed grievances.

“It is union busting,” Union secretary treasurer for CUPE Ontario said. “Our CUPE members have been doing a great job. They're important. They were very valued during, before and during the pandemic and all of a sudden now, the employer feels that they're not as important.”

STATEMENT FROM UNIVERSALCARE CANADA:

The company, UniversalCare Canada, issued a statement Friday to CTV News following a request for comment.

The statement from President and CEO Joseph Gulizia read, “At UniversalCare Canada, the wellbeing of our staff and residents is our top priority, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering quality patient care.”

The statement continued, “As a result of COVID-19, the Ministry of Long-Term Care has changed the spacing requirements for ward beds. In compliance with this new requirement and in order to protect our residents from future outbreaks, there are now no more than two residents per room at Regency Park Long-Term Care. As a result, our capacity has been reduced by 15 beds, a reduction from 72 to 57 beds. This change has necessitated our organization to reduce the hours for seven employees.”

“We are doing everything possible to support affected staff in light of these reductions in funding to ensure that their hours of employment are minimally impacted. We have carefully considered all available options including a close evaluation of our administrative costs and a complete reduction in agency use. We continue to work closely with our stakeholders and continue to follow the collective agreement in all of our decision-making,” the statement continued.

“As we navigate this change, we will continue to be wholly transparent with all of our residents, families, and staff. Our commitment to resident care remains unwavering as we continue on our mission to provide the highest quality of care for all of our residents,” the statement concluded.