VANCOUVER—Over 150 staff at two care homes in Coquitlam have been laid off after their subcontract was cancelled, a few weeks after workers voted to unionize with the Hospital Employees Union.

Care workers at Lakeshore Care Home voted to join the HEU on April 20, followed by workers at Madison Care Centre on May 1st. On May 22, care staff at those homes were given notice that they will be laid off — including 110 unionized care workers and 48 non-unionized support staff.

Both care homes are owned by The Care Group, which subcontracts care work to several different companies including Comforting Care and CD Nurturing Care, both owned by Carmen del Maestro. The HEU was informed that del Maestro had decided to retire and end the contracts.

On Wednesday night, the HEU will be asking the board of Fraser Health Authority, which provides funding to these care homes, to ensure that workers will be transferred to a new contract and are able to keep their jobs in the same facility.

“We are calling on the health authority to intervene and require that the company they contract to provide care ensures the current workforce is retained by the new contractor, and the new contractor recognizes their union and right to have a collective agreement,” said HEU spokesperson Jennifer Whiteside. “Contractors should not be permitted to disrupt the right of workers to have access to collective bargaining.”

But Whiteside said that care homes changing contracts and laying off workers, also known as “contract flipping,” is a phenomenon that has occurred several times in recent years. In February, more than 50 workers at the Finnish Manor in Burnaby lost their jobs due to contract changes, as well as 40 care staff at Maplewood House residential care facility in Abbotsford in June 2017.

Delia Guevarra has been working at the Lakeshore Care Home for 10 years, helping seniors with day-to-day needs. With the layoffs, her last day of work will be in mid August. She said she is worried about losing her job and about leaving residents without the care workers who know them.

“I’m hoping our voices will be heard and that the mass layoff will be stopped so we can continue to work with residents and support our families,” she said. “We love our residents, we do great job and we work hard to give our residents quality care ... we are looking forward to continuing our work.”

Guevarra said that the care workers at Lakeshore and Madison decided to join the HEU to improve their working conditions.

“Some of the staff experiences inconsistent schedules, not enough supplies and a heavy workload,” she said, explaining that scheduling was often only done a few weeks in advance.

Whiteside said that the layoffs affect not only the care workers, but will negatively impact senior residents as well.

“Two hundred residents are going to have a fundamental rupture in their continuity of care. Care aides help them get up, brush their hair, help them eat ... those relationships are very important,” said Whiteside. “When those familiar faces are disrupted it has a negative impact on the quality of life and care of seniors.”

When contacted by StarMetro, Maureen McIntosh, director of The Care Group, declined to comment.

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