FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 7, 2005
Care for 700 people
with developmental disabilities in jeopardy in London
LONDON – Contract talks with
Community Living London came to a halt last week, leaving
700 people with developmental disabilities and their
families at risk of temporarily losing the services they
rely on. The 430 staff represented by OPSEU voted 89 percent
in favour of strike after receiving the employer’s final
offer of a 0.57 percent wage increase.
Developmental service workers
with Community Living London make between $12.83 per hour
for part-time staff to a maximum of $17.37 per hour for
full-time.
“Seven cents an hour is not
going to help our members pay the bills,” said local
president Denise Sands.
Community Living London is
one of six developmental service agencies OPSEU represents
that are in possible strike positions. 20 more units are in
bargaining this year.
“It all comes down to
funding,” said Sands. “The Ministry has been starving the
developmental service sector for years and it’s the clients
and their workers who are paying the price.”
The Metro Agencies
Representatives Council, representing developmental service
providers in the Toronto area have also called on the
government to increase funding in their recent report,
“Beyond Numbers,” citing they can’t pay enough to retain
staff.
The Executive Director of
Community Living Tillsonburg recently went against Ministry
direction and submitted a deficit budget to illustrate the
need for funding to pay developmental service workers a fair
wage.
“Our members don’t want to go
out on strike,” Sands said. “We want to be taking care of
our clients who need us, but things are falling apart at the
seams and something’s going to give. If the Minister doesn’t
start properly funding services for the developmentally
disabled she’s going to be looking at more and more agencies
out on strike.”
OPSEU represents more than
8,000 workers who care for people with developmental
disabilities in 65 community agencies and three
provincially-run facilities.
- 30 -
For more information,
please contact:
Sarah Jordison, OPSEU
Communications: 416-453-8049
Denise Sands, OPSEU local 144 president: 519-671-5730
