SEIU-West says Community Service Workers who work for LutherCare Communities Group Homes served strike action notice, to begin at 6 pm Wednesday if there is no movement from the employer before then. President of the union, Barbara Cape says, “This action will result in some services being withdrawn by our members and those services will have to be taken care of by management.” She states the ball is in the employer’s court to put forward a deal to settle a long overdue collective agreement. Six unionized LutherCare Group Homes will be affected.

A news release from SEIU-West says the sticking points are wages, being able to have two days off in a row and for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to be considered a statutory holiday. Cape says it’s a holiday for out-of-scope managers, but not for the staff.

LutherCare Communities responds:

In a news release, LutherCare Communities reassures residents and their families that the safety and security of residents remains their priority, in response to the announced job action. Chief People Officer Chad Okrainetz says conciliation talks ended March 1st and following a two week cooling off period, they reached out to the union asking for clarification on their position from the contract offer, but there has been no response to date. Okrainetz says the offer includes a wage increase, more medical care leave, a signing bonus and adding the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday.

He emphasizes that if there is job action, medical appointments and urgent care will not be impacted. He adds that LutherCare can’t offer every weekend off, because they provide 24/7 care, but they schedule shifts to ensure employees are eligible for at least two days off each week, unless someone elects to work overtime on their days off.