Without a contract for almost two years, B.C.’s community support workers are airing their frustration in job action.
One-day rotating strikes took place across the province last week, with local workers joining the picket line on Thursday.
Sherry Errett, president of CUPE Local 3999, has worked with the Shuswap Association of Community Living for 16-plus years.
Errett says community support workers help some of the community’s most vulnerable people.
“More and more we find the government is ignoring people who do the work for others in the community,” she says. “Christy Clark’s platform for re-election is Families First, but she is ignoring the people and families who help those vulnerable families.”
Errett says the 20 part-time and full-time SACL workers are frustrated and feeling ignored and undervalued.
She says local picketers felt public support on the picket line last Thursday.
“The next move is hopefully to get back to the bargaining table and put an end to this. We’re tired of being under a job action and just want the contract settled fairly,” she says, noting if things don’t start moving, there will be more job action.
