Company rejects union's 2-year pay freeze
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- Published on Friday, 07 February 2014 11:35
- Written by editor
STOP THE CONTRACTING OUT AT NEW HORIZONS CARE HOME IN CAMPBELL RIVER
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Company rejects union's 2-year pay freeze
Campbell River Courier-Islander Wed Feb 5 2014
Byline: Sian Thomson
Source: The Courier-Islander
The last faint hope seems to have disintegrated for staff, patients and their families at New Horizons for Seniors Care Home.
Mike Old, Communications Director for the Hospital Employees Union, announced Tuesday that Park Place, the new owners of New Horizons Seniors Home, rejected "out of hand" a proposal submitted to the company by the union that would have kept the staff there for another two years, with no wage increases.
New Horizons care home on 14th Avenue provides affordable and supportive housing including 94 beds with 20 designated for dementia clients, six geriatric mental health beds, 60 general beds, eight complex care beds plus the new 54 unit assisted living and adult day program complex, On March 31 this year, the current contract between New Horizons Community of Care and the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) expires. When the contract expires, rather than negotiate a new collective agreement with the HEU, the owners decided to bring in a service partner.
The Employer is Park Place Seniors Living, a company out of Vancouver, owned by Al and Jenny Jina. It is set to contract out to a new employer at New Horizons and handed out 118 lay off notices to the workers on Dec. 30, effective March 31.
"We did this to maintain the facility, quality of care, and protect jobs," said Old. "We would continue the contract with the same terms for another two years which would have put some stability in their plan to move forward. We are profoundly disappointed for the seniors and their families and for our members, but this seems to be the business model of Park Place, this is what they do, and they have done it elsewhere. It is a pattern across the board, a contractor comes in and offers lower wages."
Old said they bought New Horizons with the full knowledge there was a union agreement in place and "notwithstanding that, they are going to contract out our jobs. And we are all concerned about quality of care."
Quality of care was also a concern last week when Island Health Board of Directors held their general meeting on Wednesday morning.
After the regular agenda was completed, there was a question and answer session from the floor.
One of the first to speak from the floor was Claire Henson, a retired teacher, and she asked the Board whether they were concerned with care or profit. Dr. Brendan Carr, CEO of the Vancouver Island Health Authority said, "It is common for Canada to have profit driven companies. This, apparently, has struck a cord within the community, but we have to work within the system the government decides. The truth is private operators can do the job and put value in the system.
"You cannot sit their and shake your heads at our answers, when you ask about quality care, we are not perfect but I won't stand here and have someone tell me we have made no improvements. We have received information from many different sources, we have surveyed people, our staff monitors (New Horizons) continually and the Board of Directors monitors it at every meeting."
Carr told the Courier-Islander that he could not make a statement about nursing staff losing their jobs.
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Passionate plea on New Horizons
Campbell River Courier-Islander
Fri Jan 31 2014
Byline: Sian Thomson
Source: The Courier-Islander
It's not often a politician gets an up close and unrehearsed look at a particular issue.
But that's what happened Wednesday when SRD Director Brenda Leigh spoke passionately about the New Horizons seniors care facility at a meeting of the Island Health Board in Campbell River.
Leigh, who has sat on the hospital board for 31 years, spoke about her experience at the facility after her mother broke her hip Christmas Day.
On Jan. 1, 118 layoff notices were given to staff and employees by owners of Park Place Seniors Living, a company out of Vancouver. On March 31 this year, the current contract between New Horizons Community of Care and the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) expires. Rather than negotiate a new contract, the employees were laid off.
"I didn't come to speak as a hospital board director, where I have served for 31 years, but as a private citizen about my mother," said Brenda Leigh. "My mom had fractured her pelvis on Christmas Day at the New Horizons Community of Care Facility and I had been at her bedside almost every night since then to assist in her recovery.
"During my time with my mother, I had observed that the staff at New Horizons work extremely long, hard days and that they perform their duties professionally and take exemplary care of the residents. Most have trained in the local region, are qualified in Canada and many have worked at the facility for the entire six years since it opened.
"Just before Christmas, I observed that the staff made extraordinary efforts to host Christmas parties, dinners, light tours and decorate the facility to make Christmas as wonderful as they could for the residents. Many gave up their own time with their own families to ensure that residents needs were being met during the holidays."
New Horizons care home provides supportive housing including 94 beds with 20 designated for dementia clients, six geriatric mental health beds, 60 general beds, eight complex care beds plus the new 54 164 unit assisted living and adult day program complex.
Leigh asked the Island Health officials to imagine the shock in the community on Jan. 1, 2014 when the new owner of the facility issued layoff notices to the 118 staff.
"These good people, who I can confirm are some of the hardest-working people in the region, who had put their heart and souls into their residents' care were now being cast out of their jobs," said Leigh.
"Why? Wages and benefits will be slashed and if the employees don't accept their employers' demands and go to work for the sub-contracting medical operator, they will be replaced. How is this allowed to happen in Canada? Does Island Health value private profits more than quality care?" Leigh said that in this world, you get what you pay for.
"What kind of incentive would the endorsement of this type of action have upon young Canadians considering entering training for assisted living care? How will 118 more unemployed people in this Region help anyone?"
Leigh was the last speaker of an often heated question and answer period after the general meeting.
"Previous experience with second union contracts is that they are more costly and can only be funded by cutting hours, reducing jobs and diluting care. It is not the intention to import foreign workers as has been suggested in the community as a possibility," said Ian West of Park Place on the New Horizon's website. "Typically this would only occur if jobs cannot be filled by local workers. Previous experience indicates that 80 to 90 per cent of existing employees accept positions with the service partner under fair working conditions. We are expecting the same will occur at New Horizons." Leigh also issued a warning to the agencies involved in the New Horizons affair.
"I can assure Island Health, the provincial government and the owners of New Horizons that, should my mother suffer any ill effects from the lowering of quality of care at this facility, I will be holding all three parties responsible," she said.
Leigh received a standing ovation from the large crowd in attendance.
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