A 30th long-term care home has joined the ongoing strike across Nova Scotia, according to a news release from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). CUPE Local 4919 at Lunenburg Home for Special Care in Lunenburg, N.S., will hit the picket line as early as Saturday if negotiations don’t pick up. CUPE represents 52 long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia. The union submitted its 48-hour strike notice on April 10 and more than 2,200 workers started walking off the job on April 13. “We are ready to go back to the table, and we have made that clear since day one of this strike,” said Christa Sweeney, CUPE long-term and community care committee chair, in a news release. “As soon as the province is willing to resume bargaining, we’ll resume bargaining. Until then, our momentum is only growing.” Lunenburg Home for Special Care is the fifth group to join the strike this week with Grand View Manor, Magnolia Continuing Care Centre, Shiretown and Ivey’s Terrace Nursing Homes, and Maple Hill Manor starting job action Thursday. The other striking care homes are: Workers at the St. Vincent nursing home in Halifax were back on the picket line Friday morning. “It’s a good place to work but none of us want to be out here right now,” said Janet MacDonald, an LPN and CUPE local 1082 president. “But this is where we find ourselves today,” The province maintains its offer is fair and in line with other long-term care agreements. Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care Barbara Adams told reporters Thursday that unions need to present the offer to its members and let them decide on it. “There are other unions including long-term care facilities, 29 in fact, who have their own bargaining units and have accepted this offer already,” said Adams. Union reps say they have shown the offer to members and they don’t like it. “My members have told me they’ve seen the deal,” said MacDonald. “We’ve had it on (the table) at numerous meetings and they do not want it. There’s nothing in there.” With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jesse Thomas For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
