Community Living Algoma workers demand fairness

About 80 employees of Community Living Algoma (CLA) and supporters marched on Bay Street this afternoon.

The workers, members of Local 1880 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), will be in a legal strike position on Wednesday April 23rd.

A final mediation session is planned for April 22.

To see additional photographs of the information rally, please click on the links below.

***************************************************************** SooToday.com photo coverage

Community Living Algoma workers #1 Community Living Algoma workers #2 Community Living Algoma workers #3 Tony Martin orates Community Living Algoma workers #5 Paul Norbo's extraordinary talent - taking pictures while walking backward Community Living Algoma workers #7 Community Living Algoma workers #8

The following is the text of a CUPE leaflet distributed at today's rally:

***************************************************************** Standing up for fairness

We're the women and men who care for the developmentally challenged in our community through Community Living Algoma.

We're support workers, social workers, counsellors, cooks, cleaners, supportive living, supportive housing and life skills workers.

On April 23rd, we may be forced to go on strike for fair wages and working conditions.

It's not what we want, but our employer and the Ontario government have let us down.

Low wages

Agencies serving Ontario children and adults with developmental disabilities are in a crisis.

It's a situation that has been going on for far too long.

Wages in this sector fall below the wages for comparable jobs in hospitals and government.

Yet our employer, Community Living Algoma, has refused to offer a fair wage increase in contract negotiations.

We continue to fall behind the rate of inflation.

No job security

Our contract talks broke down, even with the help of a provincial conciliator, because our employer would not agree to protection against layoffs.

We offered a way out

Our union offered to send our outstanding issues to be dealt with by an independent arbitrator, to avoid a strike.

Community Living Algoma management said NO - putting at risk our vulnerable clients and setting the stage for a bitter strike.

They said they couldn't afford to pay any increases an arbitrator might award as part of a fair settlement.

They said the Ontario government wouldn't provide adequate funding.

We're tired of excuses

We care deeply about the vulnerable people we serve in communities throughout Algoma district.

We are dedicated professionals with high need residents to care for, but we've also got families of our own to care for.

The people we care for need the consistency and continuity of care that can only come with fair wages for ACL workers.

Many of them have severe physical and behavioural difficulties and require around-the-clock attention.

The Ontario government has not funded wage increases in this facility since the mid nineties, and in fact cut funding repeatedly.

You can help by contacting your MPP and local politicians.

Tell them ACL workers deserve fair wages.

Tell them you care about the often forgotten vulnerable people in our community who rely on our services.