Mental health and supportive housing workers in Peel vote to strike amid wage freeze

Hundreds of workers responsible for maintaining Peel’s social safety net are expressing displeasure with their employer as the vast majority recently voted in favour of going on strike. The vote comes after months of workers dealing with an affordability crisis that has increased service demand, heightened rates of homelessness and led to more vulnerable residents in need of mental health and addiction treatment. 

Workers with Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP), represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 966 recently voted 91 percent in favour of taking strike action in response to wages that remain stagnant as new challenges emerge. 

Carolyn King, community mental health counsellor and member of the bargaining committee, said the frozen wages have left the nearly 300 employees feeling “frustrated and disappointed.” Not only is the 91 percent of workers in favour of voting quite telling of how employers are feeling, King pointed out that having two thirds of the local union’s workers vote says a lot about the current conditions. 

“With the cost of living and stuff right now, a lot of them are looking at second jobs, or a second part time job or fighting to leave the field altogether and find alternate work, if they can find it, because it's tough. It's tough to make ends meet, it's tough to buy your groceries, your rent or your mortgage, and all of those things are impacting people's ability to live and to enjoy their life.”

As a non-profit health service and housing support provider, SHIP connects individuals to housing, mental health and addiction support while helping them navigate healthcare services. CUPE 966 — an amalgamated local union that has close to 3,500 members, with nine different employers — includes roughly 300 SHIP employees who provide community mental health programs, support people in independent and transitional housing, staff 24/7 youth shelters, and offer addictions intervention, among other services. 

While the Peel agency is currently exploring a plan for provincial expansion over the next ten years, workers have been told they will only be getting an annual one percent wage increase. The one percent add on translates to $28 more (before taxes) for the highest paid worker. Meanwhile, the organization’s CEO Lesley Nagoda has seen a 55 percent salary increase since stepping into the role in 2019, according to the latest Sunshine List. 

While SHIP receives funding from the provincial government, Ontario Health, the Region of Peel, United Way and other major donors, workers wages have not improved. According to the organization’s financial statements for 2024, SHIP received approximately $10.6 million from the Region of Peel and $9.5 million in provincial funding from the Ministry of Health, among other revenues brought in. The statement noted that over the years, SHIP has received different grants through forgivable loans from the Region for the purchase of land and construction of buildings to create affordable and supportive housing for people experiencing mental illness. 

Carolyn King, a community mental health counsellor employed by SHIP, says workers are feeling undervalued.

(Submitted) 

A SHIP spokesperson stated in an email to The Pointer the organization has “maintained a positive relationship with CUPE 966 for over 20 years without any strikes. They added that “SHIP values its union members and is committed to supporting clients, employees, and communities.”

According to a press release from CUPE, the local union delivered a petition signed by over 200 members asking the SHIP’s board of directors to help make sure workers can pay their bills, but “they didn’t even respond.”

“The Board has communicated the letter to the operations team, and we are committed to working diligently with CUPE 966 through the collective bargaining process,” the spokesperson said in response. “SHIP and CUPE 966 are continuously engaged in negotiations to reach a fair agreement.”

King says it is particularly exhausting for workers who up until recently were operating under the PC’s Bill 124, which limited public sector workers to a one percent increase on their salaries amid surging inflationary rates. The Bill was deemed unconstitutional in February last year after the courts determined the wage cap violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Given the nature of their work, the majority of SHIP’s employees worked through Covid-19. But since coming out of the pandemic, King says “people are now feeling not particularly appreciated.” 

“Subsequently the housing crisis and the cost of living and all of those things that are now impacting people's budget even more,” King said. “It’s frustrating and people are disappointed, and they want the respect of their employer and to be valued for the work that they do because our jobs aren't easy. It's mental health and addictions and housing, and none of those things are easy on a daily basis, and none of our jobs are the same from one day to the other either.”

“Some days it's very emotional. Some days it's fun. Sometimes it's not. You have to meet people where they are, in terms of our clients, and you have to give them the best support you can. And you want to know that your employer is standing behind you and giving you that support to enable you to do the best job that you can.”

While employee morale has plummeted, staff retention has become a growing problem, King says. With a fairly high turnover rate, she fears the agency will continue to lose experienced workers and worries it could impact the quality of service provided. While keeping staff on during the pandemic was already challenging, King says the stagnant wages under stressful work conditions has only exacerbated the problem.

“People get discouraged, and feeling like people are valuing you for the work that you do is important because it makes people want to do a better job,” she said. “You don't want to be just going through the motions. People want to enjoy their work and to feel like they're making a difference.”

“It just contributes to everybody's work life balance and their psychological well being. I mean, if you're not happy at work, or you don't have a good work life balance, if that all gets thrown off, then that can impact your ability to do your work well.”

In light of the possible strike, SHIP’s spokesperson assured the organization has “operational plans to ensure that full operations would continue without disruption in the event of a strike.”

SHIP and CUPE held negotiations on March 17 and while some progress was made, King says “we’re still not quite there yet.” Right now, King says the local union is looking towards being more comparable with the sector average. Community and social services workers currently earn between $19.23 to $37.91 an hour, according to the Government of Canada Job Bank. 

The two sides will be returning to negotiations on April 28 and “are hopeful that with the help of the conciliator, that we will be able to reach a deal that we can put to the members to be ratified.” Any potential job action would not be taken until at least the middle of May, King says. 

“Realistically, none of us really want to go on strike. That's not our goal. We are really trying to encourage the employer to demonstrate their value that they place in their workers. We think, if we're providing your service, we should be a priority for you.”

Email: paige.peacock@thepointer.com 

Twitter: @mcpaigepeacock

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