Strike vote underway at unionized nursing homes in New Brunswick

New Brunswick’s 4,100 nursing home workers are holding a strike vote Thursday that could affect facilities across much of the province.

The workers are represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) but the 45 local unions are collectively represented by the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions (NBCNHU).

The nursing home workers have been without a contract for 28 months.

The vote comes even as the province says it has applied for a judicial review of the Labour and Employment Board’s December 2018 decision regarding the legislation on essential services in the event of a strike.

Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard is encouraging the employer, represented by the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes (NBANH), and the NBCNHU to return to the bargaining table and resume negotiations.

“Balancing fiscal responsibility with ensuring these workers are compensated fairly is important. We encourage the parties to return to the table as soon as possible and we remain hopeful an agreement can be reached,” said Shephard.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Balancing fiscal responsibility with ensuring these workers are compensated fairly is important. We encourage the parties to return to the table as soon as possible and we remain hopeful an agreement can be reached," said Shephard.

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There are no new talks planned. The two sides are having trouble finding common ground when it comes to wages and staffing concerns.

The association says they have presented a collective agreement similar to that of hospital workers, ensuring wage parity between the two sectors.

“We are exploring all possible proposals that may reach a completed collective agreement, along with the current proposal of wage parity with comparable positions in the hospital sector. We are continuing to work with all parties to ensure that the health and safety of residents is protected,” wrote NBANH Executive Director Jodi Hall in a statement.

The union says if its members vote in favor of a strike, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will head to the picket line.

“We’re still not hearing if there’s any new money or nothing new to talk about so if there’s nothing new to talk about, we’re not willing to return to the table just to talk about the package we already rejected,” said Patrick Roy, chair of NBCNHU.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're still not hearing if there's any new money or nothing new to talk about so if there's nothing new to talk about, we're not willing to return to the table just to talk about the package we already rejected," said Patrick Roy, chair of NBCNHU.

Results from the vote are expected early Friday morning.