Our civil society organizations stand in solidarity with New Brunswick’s community care-giving employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
The pandemic is shedding light on the important work caregivers have been providing for so long, with little recognition: caring for the most vulnerable among us, including seniors, children, people with disabilities, and women fleeing violence.
They were never low-skilled workers, just systematically underpaid, undervalued, overworked, and with little to no benefits or paid sick leave. As is all too often the case in our society, they are paid less simply because most of them are women. They are paid less because the responsibilities, skills, effort and working conditions associated with their female-dominated jobs are not fully recognized.
We believe that their wages should reflect the value of their work and recognize that the services they provide are essential to the smooth functioning of society and the economy. At present, most earn between 14 and 16 dollars an hour.
While the impact of COVID-19 has been less severe in New Brunswick, the community caregiving crisis remains a reality. Continuing to ignore this crisis will only intensify the current staff recruitment and retention problems, thus affecting the access, quality and continuity of care.
Let’s be loud and clear. The government must make significant public investments in caregiver’s wages across the community caregiving sector right now:
- Allocate wage subsidies to the entire community care-giving sector, including:
- Special Care Homes
- Community Residences
- Home Support Services
- Transition Houses
- Family Support Services
- ADAPT Centers
- Nursing Homes
- Adjust wages to ensure pay equity and reflect the level of responsibilities, skills and effort as well as the working conditions inherent to these jobs—in times of crisis and beyond.
- Improve working conditions such as guaranteed paid sick leave, more stable working schedules, a greater staffing ratio, and during this COVID crisis—better access to personal protective equipment.
Signatories:
- New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity
Frances LeBlanc, Chair - Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick
Lyne Chantale Boudreau, President - New Brunswick Federation of Labour
Daniel Légère, President - Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick
Carmen Gibbs, Executive Director - Association des bibliothécaires, professeures et professeurs de l’Université de Moncton Mathieu Lang, President
- Association des bibliothécaires, professeures et professeurs retraités de l'Université de Moncton
Réjean Hall, President - Association francophone des aînés du Nouveau-Brunswick
Solange Haché, President - Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick
Michel Soucy, President - Association francophone des parents du Nouveau-Brunswick
Céline Rousselle, President - BCTGM Local 406
George Leaman, Business Agent (on behalf of the executive) - Business and Professional Women of Greater Moncton
Kim Eagles, President - Centre de Bénévolat de la Péninsule Acadienne
Leo-Paul Pinet, Executive Director - CFUW Fredericton
Bo Miedema, President - CODAC NB
Ghislaine Foulem, President - Comité des 12 pour la justice sociale
Claude Snow, spokesperson - Conseil d’intervention pour l’accès des femmes au travail
Kim Paradis, Executive Director - Conseil provincial des sociétés culturelles
Marie-Thérèse Landry, Executive Director - Crossroads for Women
Chantal Poirier, Executive Director - CUPE-NB
Brien Watson, President - CUPE Local 1418 Rehabilitation and Therapy
Stephen Drost, President - Dexter Learning Centre
Sylvie Cyr, Director - Famille et petite enfance francophone Sud inc.
Myriam Larochelle, Director - Fédération des conseils d’éducation du Nouveau-Brunswick
Robert Levesque, President - Fundy Region Transition House
Deana Gowan, Acting Executive Director - Liberty Lane Inc.
Alyson Pizzey, Executive Director - Moncton & District Labour Council
Janice Melanson, President - New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice
Pauline Gallant and Johanne Petitpas, co-chairs - New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers
Linda B. LeBlanc, President - New Brunswick Community Residences Inc
Stephanie Brewer, Executive Director - New Brunswick Community Service Unions
Laurie Anderson, President - New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions
Sharon Teare, President - New Brunswick Home Economics Association
Julie Caissie, President - New Brunswick Nurses Union
Paula Doucet, President - New Brunswick South Central Transition House and Second Stage Coalition
Debrah Westerburg, Coordinator - New Brunswick Union
Susie Proulx-Daigle, President - Réseau des services pour victimes de violence du Nouveau-Brunswick
Angèle Losier, President - Saint John Human Development Council
Randy Hatfield, Executive Director - Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
Robert Melanson, President - Symbiose
Mathilde Thériault, Vice-President - Unifor
Jerry Dias, National President - Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Mount Allison University
Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers, Assistant Professor, Commerce and Women’s & Gender Studies - YWCA Moncton
Michèle Nadeau, Executive Director