Health-care contract clause could be stumbling block in N.S. CUPE negotiations

The Nova Scotia CUPE long-term care strike entered its second day on Tuesday.

Voices remain strong on day two of a strike by long-term care home workers across Nova Scotia.

“We just want to be paid our worth. We have the lowest paid healthcare workers in Atlantic Canada, we are the second lowest paid in all of Canada,” says continuing care assistant Dawn Vardy.

She is also the president of CUPE Local 1259.

Vardy says the government’s current offer is identical to what other health care workers have signed. It includes a wage increase between 12 per cent and 24 per cent and a 70 per cent increase in shift premium.

But that doesn’t cut it for the workers.

“The offer that was presented to us was an offer that was made back in 2023. So, the cost of living since 2023 to now has drastically increased, so, even by accepting this offer, we are still not going to be making a fair, living wage,” she says.

Another consideration in the talks is a “Me Too” clause other health care workers have in their contracts.

“Acute care and long-term care are out of cycle in terms of when they negotiate their agreements. There is a clause called the ‘Me Too’ clause, which means for two of those years, which are in the same cycle, there would be a comparative elevation for those two years,” says the province’s Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, Barbara Adams.

In other words, acute care workers are entitled to any contractual gains made by continuing care employees. With the province in a deficit and slashing grants and programs, that clause could be seen as a major hurdle.

Union president Allan Linkletter says they’re not budging.

“We will stay on the lines as long as needed, but at the end of the day, I’d hope the government would come back with a competitive wage deal for our long-term care sector,” he says.

2,200 workers from 24 care homes are on strike. CUPE represents staff in 52 facilities and they say more could be joining the picket line in the coming days.

The full list of 24 affected care homes is:

• St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax
• Maplestone Enhanced Care in Halifax
• Ivy Meadows in Beaver Bank
• Admiral Long Term Care Centre in Dartmouth
• Glasgow Hall in Dartmouth
• Ocean View Continuing Care in Eastern Passage
• Bissett Court in Cole Harbour
• The Birches in Musquodoboit Harbour
• Maritime Odd Fellows in Pictou
• Harbourstone Enhanced Care in Sydney River
• Northside Community Guest Home in North Sydney
• Celtic Court in Membertou
• Alderwood Rest Home in Baddeck
• Richmond Villa in St. Peter’s
• Seaview Manor in Glace Bay
• Port Hawkesbury Nursing Home in Port Hawkesbury
• St. Anne Nursing Care Centre in Arichat
• Ryan Hall in Bridgewater
• Queens Manor in Liverpool
• Bay Side Home in Barrington
• Roseway Manor in Shelburne
• Surf Lodge in Lockeport
• Villa Saint-Joseph du Lac in Dayton
• The Meadows in Yarmouth

The offer on the table is a four-year deal retroactive to 2023, which means if accepted, the contract would expire next year and could potentially have workers back out on the picket line.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page