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Members working for Chartwell Retirement Homes in Orangeville, Ottawa, Thunder Bay and Windsor organized coordinated actions to interrupt Chartwell’s open house this past weekend to demand Chartwell pay its workers a fair wage.
“Potential residents and their families need to be aware of the shamefully low wages being paid to Chartwell Retirement workers,” said Katha Fortier, Assistant to Unifor National President. “Chartwell is paying former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris $237,000 annually, meanwhile refusing to pay a living wage to front line workers who provide a safe and enjoyable living environment for seniors.”
The open house actions are part of the union’s Pay Fair Chartwell campaign. The campaign aims to inform residents, families and community members of Chartwell’s unwillingness to pay workers a fair wage.
“Many Chartwell Retirement Home workers earn minimum wage or little more. In fact, at one home the starting wage for a personal support worker is $14.35 an hour, so its no surprise staff turnover is incredibly high,” continued Fortier.
The Pay Fair Chartwell campaign also features billboard advertisements in all Chartwell Retirement Home communities, a petition calling on Chartwell CEO Brent Binions and Chair of the Board Mike Harris to pay workers a decent, living wage and the “Ask Hilda” video series, Unifor’s take on Chartwell’s “Ask Edna” videos.
Unifor represents more than 26,000 members in the health care sector. For more information on the campaign, visit www.unifor.org/payfairchartwell.
