{"id":63606,"date":"2026-04-09T22:04:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=63606"},"modified":"2026-04-09T22:04:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:04:44","slug":"long-term-care-talks-at-impasse-as-strike-looms-cupe-local-president-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=63606","title":{"rendered":"Long-term care talks at impasse as strike looms, CUPE local president says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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ENFIELD:<\/strong> Sitting down at Aroma Maya Coffee & Donuts in Enfield, Wendy Jarema didn\u2019t mince words about the state of negotiations between long-term care workers and the provincial government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president of CUPE Local 5165, which represents workers at The Magnolia in Enfield, said talks have stalled, leaving job action increasingly likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been given the same deal at every meeting,\u201d Jarema told The Laker News. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t really been any negotiation; it\u2019s been \u2018this is what we\u2019re offering, take it or leave it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CUPE represents roughly 5,000 long-term care workers across Nova Scotia, including more than 70 members at The Magnolia. Their contract has been expired since October 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a response to The Laker News, Alyse Hand, media relations advisor with the Executive Council Office, said the province believes the current deal is fair and represents a significant investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deal on the table represents a significant investment ($55 million annually),\u201d Hand said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt matches what those working in hospitals in acute care and home care already receive and has been accepted by more than 20 long-term care facilities in the last five months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hand said the agreement includes wage increases ranging from 12 to 24 per cent over four years, along with retroactive pay dating back to 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government has also invested heavily in the sector in recent years, she said, including a 23 per cent wage increase for continuing care assistants in 2022 and free tuition to train thousands of new workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand added CUPE leadership rejected the offer without allowing members to vote on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarema maintains the offer does not address what workers see as a real wage gap between long-term care and acute care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have members who can go to acute care and make $4 or more an hour extra,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat makes recruitment and retention very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The union is calling for a \u201c$5 fix\u201d over four years to close that gap, though Jarema noted even that would not fully solve the issue long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always playing catch-up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Staffing shortages remain a key concern inside facilities like The Magnolia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarema said some workers are putting in more than 60 hours a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat puts staff at risk, and it puts residents at risk because people are exhausted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that while training incentives exist, many workers eventually leave long-term care for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While more than 20 CUPE locals across the province are in a legal position to strike, Hand said no formal 48-hour strike notice has been received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny talk of a potential strike is stressful,\u201d Hand said, adding that many facilities would continue operating as normal even in the event of job action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Nova Scotia\u2019s Essential Health and Community Services Act, long-term care homes must maintain core services during a strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jarema said even with essential services maintained, residents would feel the effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPersonal care, meals, and medications will continue,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s the extras that may go\u2014time spent with residents, activities, those personal touches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said those moments are a key part of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t do this to get rich,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do it because we care. These residents are like family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand said essential care would continue, including meals, dressing, personal care, and medications, emphasizing that resident safety remains the province\u2019s top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jarema said workers are ultimately looking for meaningful movement in negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome back with something we can actually talk about,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to discuss if it\u2019s the same offer every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also pointed to rising living costs, saying some workers are struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2026, people shouldn\u2019t be choosing between rent, food, and gas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand said the province remains committed to reaching a resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continue to look forward to a positive resolution to this matter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ENFIELD: Sitting down at Aroma Maya Coffee & Donuts in Enfield, Wendy Jarema didn\u2019t mince words about the state of negotiations between long-term care workers and the provincial government. The president of CUPE Local 5165, which represents workers at The Magnolia in Enfield, said talks have stalled, leaving job action increasingly likely. \u201cWe\u2019ve been given […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[965,957],"tags":[10717,10718,10719,1907],"class_list":["post-63606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-hants","category-news","tag-cupe-local-5165","tag-department-of-long-term-care","tag-long-term-care-workers","tag-the-magnolia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}