SEIU: your home care champion!

SEIU: your home care champion!

Home care workers are a critical part of our health care system; Personal Support Workers and Healthcare Aides step in where hospital care leaves off, never breaking the continuum of care provided to our province’s most vulnerable people.

With our aging population, the demand for home care workers is steadily increasing. Ontario needs a strong home care sector to meet these growing demands, and SEIU Local 1 Canada is dedicated to making it happen.

Every day, SEIU fights for our more than 5,500 home care members to ensure their job security, fair wages and benefits. We are proud that SEIU home care workers are treated more fairly than their non-union counterparts; but we know our work is far from over.

Our members have put their trust in us, and we have made a pledge to champion their cause. To this end, SEIU is stepping beyond bargaining to fight the home care fight. We lobby government to make real changes to the system, and are working to raise awareness of home care with Ontarians.

Over the last few months, SEIU has made significant gains in the home care sector in our province. In May, thanks to months of government lobbying, SEIU hosted reception at Queen’s Park in Toronto where Health Minister Deb Matthews announced the creation of Ontario’s first PSW Registry. This important announcement was a big step in recognizing PSWs in our province.

Riding on that huge win for SEIU, we hosted the Member Leadership Action Conference in Toronto, where PSW leaders got the chance to give us their input on how our union can continue to raise their profile in our province. It wasn’t all serious business talk, our spirited members took to the streets of Toronto and did the Healthcare Hustle in the heart of the city!

Most recently, CBC Radio 1 reached out to SEIU to shed some light on the failings of our home care system. Over four days, CBC Radio investigated the successes and shortcomings of the system, and even walked a day in the shoes of an SEIU PSW. Listen to the four-part series online!

Looking ahead, SEIU’s Vote4Healthcare campaign is working to equip Ontarians with the information they need to make an informed decision in the upcoming provincial election. Everyone wins when we vote for candidates who are equally dedicated to overhaul the healthcare system. Together, we can ensure that our next government will do its part for the health of our province. On October 6, remember to Vote4Healthcare!

Indeed, 2011 has been a great year for our home care sector. Rest assured, your SEIU will continue to champion home care issues. After all, home care is healthcare!