Unionized workers rallied Saturday at Dom Lipa, a long-term care home in Etobicoke, urging its board to reconsider potential layoffs that their union says would leave fewer personal support workers caring for residents.

According to CBC Toronto’s reporting by Gabriela Silva Ponte, SEIU Healthcare warned that the proposed staffing reductions would increase workloads and reduce time for personalized care.

Patti Taylor, the union’s manager of member services, told CBC the home plans to remove one full-time personal support worker position on each floor during both day and afternoon shifts. That would leave two PSWs doing work currently handled by three, she said.

“You have residents who need to be fed, toileted, showered. There’s a lot of demands,” Taylor said.

Workers called on the home’s board of directors to meet with them, reconsider the layoffs and address staffing concerns. Taylor said employees were already reporting difficulty reaching residents in a timely manner.

The union has pushed back against the proposed layoffs and gained some time, Taylor told CBC, but she said the employer still intends to proceed. The reporting did not establish when the reductions would take effect.

CBC said it contacted Dom Lipa for comment; its report did not include a response from the home.

In a statement to CBC on Sunday, Ministry of Long-Term Care spokesperson Mark Hensen said Ontario spends $2 billion annually to hire and train PSWs, nurses and other professionals in the sector. He said the province would continue working with its partners to ensure homes have the staff they need.

Taylor warned that reducing staffing could lead to burnout and affect residents’ care.

“Those working conditions become the living conditions for the residents,” she said.

Sources