Long-term care workers continue their fight to have an austerity bill repealed with a rally on Tuesday outside Chartwell Royal Oak Long-Term Care in Kingsville.
Their union, Unifor Local 2458, has 20 rallies. On Monday, they rallied outside Banwell Gardens in Tecumseh, and on Wednesday, another event is set for Berkshire Care Centre on Dougall Avenue in Windsor.
Bill 124, called the "Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act," passed in 2019 and freezes annual pay increases for public sector workers to just one per cent a year. Among the voices of dissent are the Ontario Nurses Association and teachers' unions.
"ONA is deeply disappointed with the passage of Bill 124, and we were swift to act and message our frustration to members, the public, and the government," read a message on the Ontario Nurses Association website. "Among our many actions, ONA has also highlighted the gender discrimination in the legislation -- ONA has never stopped lobbying the government."
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontariens, and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Federation have all condemned the bill saying it doesn't keep up with inflation.
Unifor Local 2458 calls on the Ontario government to "stop putting profit over people."
"Instead of the Ford government fixing the growing problems in long-term care, they have added more barriers by introducing legislation that hurts our members and their residents," said local president Tullio DiPonti. "It's time to fix it, and fix it now!"
Tuesday's rally in Kingsville starts at 1 p.m.
The rallies were planned for earlier this month, but the union postponed them because of inclement weather.
