Union representing Kingston hospital workers protests reduced funding

The union representing over a thousand Kingston hospital workers is turning up the heat on the province.

On Monday, CUPE members marched to the downtown office of Kingston’s MPP to protest, what they call, “below average funding”.

About two dozen CUPE members showed up outside Sophie Kiwala’s constituency office for a lunch-hour rally.

Mike Rodrigues is President of CUPE Local 1974, he says his group continues to look for answers about hospital funding.

“The hospitals were promised a minimum of 2 per cent increase, the Kingston area hospitals received 1.8 which is wrong.  We should be getting at least the minimum which was promised which was 2.1.”

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While protesters marched outside her Kingston office, Kiwala was at Queen’s Park in Toronto and couldn’t meet with the union officials. Rodrigues did ask her staff for an appointment, he was told she would call him.

“We went public in August in a media release, there’s been no contact made, no answers supplied, so we’re going to keep escalating until we get the answers.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We went public in August in a media release, there's been no contact made, no answers supplied, so we're going to keep escalating until we get the answers."

The President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions doesn’t understand the lack of funding either. Michael Hurley is hoping Monday’s rally will help the union get those answers.  Kiwala didn’t respond before air time.