Union Involvement in PSW Industry
We received an e-mail the other week from a disgruntled relative of a practicing PSW. The author of the e-mail was concerned about the state of the industry and treatment of employees. - Editors Note: All names have been removed. This is a larger scope issue, not a smaller one tied to one or two acting parties.
Question
What do you make of the following comment regarding Health Care Providers "using" PSW's?
Companies like (editors note: sample employer list) and many others are soliciting new PSW's with advertisements saying "desperate, urgent" and meanwhile the current PSW employees are getting an average of 8-10 hours a week if they are lucky. It appears the mission is to prevent the current staff from getting to full-time status (benefits, raises). This a very concerning and real problem facing PSW's. (Editors note: A PSW Organization) needs to get lobbying for better treatment of PSW's and restrictions on staffing relative to clients ratios.
Answer
The unregulated environment allows for this to happen. It's certainly not fair but that's just how it is. Many of the larger PSW employers are "always hiring". The reality is the PSW industry has a high turnover rate and employers stock pile workers. And as you alluded to, having many part-timers helps them avoid paying full time benefits, increased government taxes, etc.
But frankly (the unnamed PSW Organization) isn't a legitimate option. They try their best but they are not a legitimate labour organization (although oddly enough they charge a $95 membership fee for career coaching and resumes, all of which you can get for free on our website in our employement resources section). PSW's will have to wait for higher powered guns (ie: a big union) for a real change.
Update:
This past week one of the 'big boys' threw their weight around. The CAW hosted a demonstration outside of a long term care home in Hamilton. The protest was based around the employer cutting workers hours, yet the employer received no funding cut. IE they pocketed the cuts.
This has to be seen as a positive sign for employees in the industry. While in the early stages, a shift from Manufacturing into Health Care makes sense for larger union organizations. These groups have the numbers and influence to bring about change in the industry and in terms of provincial regulation. We’ll keep our eye on this growing development. For updates please join our e-mail mailing list;
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