They're not even pretending that this about SAIL. They are blatantly targeting not only Artspace members, but the entire neighbourhood. They say they intend to target everybody, and threaten that it will keep getting worse.
Nice of them to warn us of their intentions to escalate their abuse, I suppose.
As followers of this blog know, there has been discussion of their use of noise as a weapon, and the effects it has, both physically and psychologically. AUPE members read this blog, so they can't pretend not to know this, either.
Which means that when they come out here, with their kazoos, horns and bells on top of their usual vocal assaults, they are doing so with the very specific goal of causing people harm. This is a deliberate and violent attack on Artspace members.
Playing the Imperial March was a nice touch. AUPE as The Empire seems rather appropriate.
Their behaviour continues to be completely detached from reality. It accomplishes nothing for their "cause." It's not going to magically produce more money to pay for their demands - demands Artspace members have nothing to do with, anyhow. They can't seem to understand simple concepts, like "budget". I guess when you have a bottomless pit of union dues that can be used to pay people to wander around a neighbourhood, assaulting and harassing people who have NOTHING to do with the labour dispute - tax free, too - the idea that a small company, funded entirely by AHS, can't meet their demands just doesn't grok.
Or maybe they do and, as many members believe, their actual intent has never been to improve the lot of those oh-so-oppressed ladies (cue race and gender cards, complete with sad violins), but to bankrupt SAIL. (Or Artspace. They can't seem to be able to tell the difference between the two.) After all, when the care staff were going to vote whether or not to unionize, AUPE told them, right from the start, that they intended to strike. When the care staff were voting to strike, AUPE also told them that, if things went too long, SAIL would go bankrupt and they would lose their jobs. The care workers voted to strike, anyhow. They can't say that all they want is benefits, since a benefits package had also been offered previously and rejected as too expensive, along with other offers during negotiations. SAIL actually agrees that they should have a benefits package - they just have to be able to stay within budget. It's not like they have any ability to increase their income, unlike a normal company that offers goods and services, and can try to increase sales or something.
I think the most laughable thing about their behaviour is their complaints about our banners and signs. One guy was heard to describe them as "profanity", then immediately swore. None of the banners use profane language, yet they themselves use foul language frequently.
Of course, there is an obvious solution. If they don't like the signs, they don't have to be here. Unlike Artspace members, they have a choice to be somewhere else. This is our home. They are the ones invading our neighbourhood. What sort of delusional world do they have to be living in, for them to come to OUR home, behave the way THEY behave, then claim we are the ones who should be ashamed? At this point, we start to question their mental faculties. It's no wonder so many members feel their behaviour is cult-like.
Meanwhile, AUPE keeps trying to portray the striking care staff as having been oh-so trod upon. In a recent article to AUPE members, they wrote that the care staff were *gasp* "made to" perform housekeeping duties, under threat of termination.
Hello, but that's part of their job description. That's part of being a Home Health Care Aide. That's part of providing care that allows for independent living. Priority is on personal care, then meal preparation and feeding, then housekeeping and laundry. What do they expect? The people in wheelchairs to do it? Home care IS THEIR JOB, and that includes washing cupboards and helping with pets - many of whom are companion animals and part of a user member's health care. If they are not willing to DO THEIR JOB, then of course they would risk losing their jobs. You have to actually DO your job in order to keep it.
This is a job description taken from the government job bank, for Home Health Care Aide positions in Alberta - not for an in-house care company, like SAIL, but with a private company.
Specific Skills: Prepare, cook and serve meals, Shop for food and household supplies, Launder clothing and household linens, Mend clothing and linens, Perform light housekeeping and cleaning, Provide personal care, Provide companionship, Assist clients in water (i.e. pool), Administer bedside and personal care, Feed or assist in feeding, Change non-sterile dressings, Administer medications, Assist clients to walk, Aid clients with bathing and other aspects of personal hygiene
Work Location Information: Work in employer's/client's home
Transportation/Travel Information: Public transportation is available
Work Conditions and Physical Capabilities: Work under pressure, Repetitive tasks, Physically demanding, Combination of sitting, standing, walking, Bending, crouching, kneeling
If they worked for a care facility, rather than for SAIL, their job requirements would be quite different. Like this job listing.
Specific Skills: Take patients' blood pressure, temperature and pulse, Lift, turn or massage patients, Supervise patients' exercise routines, Administer suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas, Bathe, dress and groom patients, Transport patients in wheelchair or stretcher
Additional Skills: Supply and empty bed pans, Make beds and maintain patients' rooms
Security and Safety: Bondable, Basic security clearance, Criminal record check, Tuberculosis test
Work Conditions and Physical Capabilities: Fast-paced environment, Work under pressure, Repetitive tasks, Physically demanding, Manual dexterity, Attention to detail, Ability to distinguish between colours, Sound discrimination, Standing for extended periods, Combination of sitting, standing, walking, Bending, crouching, kneeling, Walking
Our care staff isn't even qualified to do some of this; the LPN has to do it.
Working for SAIL, our day staff has only 4-5 hours of scheduled time (night staff only 1-2 hours). Unlike other home care workers, they don't have to go from house to house. They get to stay in one place. Their unscheduled down time is essential to our user members, as it allows user members to call for help when unexpected needs arise - such as when something falls and breaks, and cannot wait until scheduled time to be cleaned up. Or when a member has a personal hygiene accident. Or any other unexpected need arises. This doesn't happen often, but often enough that user members are happy to pay care staff to do nothing for hours, just in case a need arises.
This brings up an interesting situation for our user members. It's said that we don't know how good we've got things, until they are gone. For Artspace user members, it's been the opposite. They didn't know how bad things were until the staff went on strike. Now, with the replacement workers, they suddenly realize how bad their care had been. This, coupled with seeing and hearing the care staff on the picket line (the rare times they show up), our user members don't want them back. They do not feel they would be safe with these individuals anymore, and they would not be willing to go back to a substandard level of care.
So I suppose we should thank AUPE for convincing the care workers to go on strike. If they hadn't, our user members would still be forced to endure their poor work ethics and shoddy care.
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