Workers at Christensen Village in Gibsons have joined the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU) and plan to have the union bargain on their behalf for higher wages, more staff and a safer working environment at the seniors' care home.
"Workload is an issue. Staff at all facilities were already really needy and with the opening of this facility what staff there is was stretched even more," said Meg Stevens, local union representative.
"Of course wages are a problem. Employees at Christensen Village are making at least $2 less an hour than a facility with union rates, which compounds the staffing problem because of course people would rather go where they can make more money."
Stevens said staff at Christensen Village (which is run by the Good Samaritan Society) have been working long hours, racking up overtime and sometimes working nine days or more without a break.
"They are tired and there have been quite a few injuries lately," Stevens said.
"There were a lot of problems due to short staffing that we hope to have addressed through bargaining," Stevens also noted.
Christensen Village admitted some medication errors and lack of time spent with residents by staff but equated those to the staffing shortages they were experiencing at the time.
Recently Christensen Village had its operations investigated by the licensing officer after Powell River Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons raised concerns over the care being administered.
That report was completed but not offered to Simons, who is now requesting a copy through the Freedom of Information Act.However, he was sent a letter from health minister George Abbott who noted the facility "was not in compliance with the Community Care and Assisted Living Act," at the time the investigation was done. Since then Abbott and Good Samaritan Society staff say changes have been made.
"The facility has increased all staffing levels, registered nurse (RN) educator time, and RN time. As a result, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has decided no action will be taken against the Good Samaritan Society's licence of this facility, as outstanding concerns have been addressed," Abbott wrote.
Good Samaritan Society vice-president of operations and human resources Bernice Yaremchuck called the report stemming from the investigation "very positive."
"The licensing officer did an investigation and we responded. It's not something we want to make public, but it was a very positive response," she said.
She said the Good Samaritan Society holds a number of private health care contracts across Canada and a high percentage of those in Alberta are unionized.
"It is the employees' right," she noted.
Yaremchuck said Christensen Village is now "fully staffed," although she did not know the actual numbers at the Gibsons facility as she is in the society headquarters in Alberta.
"All the necessary improvements are being done," she said.
The HEU plans to start bargaining with the Good Samaritan Society and Vancouver Coastal Health this month.
