Overview
- The labour stoppage has lasted about six weeks and involves roughly 3,500 CUPE‑represented workers at 35 long‑term care homes.
- On Sunday, May 24 the province published the full text of a May 7 proposal that it says offers 12–24 percent wage increases over four years, retroactive pay to 2023, higher evening and weekend premiums, access to a defined‑benefit pension, and a $2‑per‑hour top‑up for some workers in 2027 plus an extra 1.5 percent that year.
- CUPE says the May 7 meeting ended because the government brought no new terms and disputes the province’s claim that the union refused weekend talks; union members planned a picket outside Premier Tim Houston’s speech on Monday, May 25.
- Both the union and the government say homes are still operating but at reduced capacity, and family members report fewer baths, more falls and changes to residents’ diets and routines.
- The government is urging CUPE to put the offer to a membership vote and resume bargaining, and if no vote or talks occur the strike’s effects on resident care and political pressure on the province are likely to continue.