PSWs working for Red Cross Care Partners have been in a legal strike position for several weeks. Workers contend that their actual wages have dropped seven per cent in the last two years due to a wage freeze combined with inflation and the increase in gas prices.
"They are paid poverty-level wages of $15 an hour and are expected to pay for gas out of pocket when they drive long distances to make home visits" said Sharleen Stewart, the president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Canada, which represents the 4,500 affected workers, in a statement released to media.