Workers at Paramed in Kitchener, Ont., join UFCW

Fairness, inequality lead to decision: Union

Workers at Paramed in Kitchener, Ont., join UFCW
The Paramed employees also said that favouritism and preferential scheduling were major issues in the workplace, and when they tried to complain to management about these issues, their complaints were treated as insubordination, according to UFCW. GOOGLE STREET VIEW

More than 170 workers at Paramed in Kitchener, Ont., are newest members of United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW) Local 175 after voting recently to join the union.

Paramed members work as registered nurses, registered practical nurses and home care workers servicing the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge areas in Ontario.

“This employer was making it very difficult for workers to improve their position. Workers were expected to quit one group before they could apply to the other, better-paid group,” said Ali Farman, UFCW Canada Local 175 organizer. “And when they did that, there was no guarantee or even reassurance that they would be rehired to the other group. This left the workers with little hope for advancement.”

Workers joined the union to address inequalities in the workplace, as one group of workers was receiving better wages and benefits than the other, and shifts were also being scheduled unequally. The home care workers — who are required to travel between homes — also said that they were not being paid for all of their travel time, and were sent home without pay when clients cancelled at the last minute, said the union.

The Paramed employees also said that favouritism and preferential scheduling were major issues in the workplace, and when they tried to complain to management about these issues, their complaints were treated as insubordination, according to UFCW.

Latest stories