Workers with Sudbury Hospital Services who provide laundry and linen services for Health Sciences North are planning a rally Tuesday, Oct. 18 as the hospital looks to cut costs by switching to a different provider.
Health Sciences North confirmed on Oct. 5 it plans to switch to a different provider for its laundry services, based in southern Ontario, in a bid expected to save $500,000 a year.
In a written statement, Joe Pilon, Health Sciences North's senior vice-president and chief operating officer, said Mohawk Shared Services will provide laundry services for the hospital starting in April 2017.
The company, with a head office in Burlington and facilities in Hamilton, provides laundry services for hospitals across the province, and will provide laundry services for Health Sciences North at “a price substantially lower than Sudbury Hospital Services” due to its larger scale, Pilon said.
But Gisele Dawson, president of CUPE Local 2841, which represents the 36 Sudbury Hospital Services workers expected to lose their jobs next year, said she does not see how Health Sciences North would save money going with a different provider.
“The wages they're making out at Mohawk Linen Services are very comparable to ours,” Dawson said.
She added the company will incur additional costs transporting hospital linens from its facilities in Hamilton to Sudbury.
Pilon told Sudbury.com the expected financial savings by switching providers were the only factor in Health Sciences North's decision to switch to Mohawk Shared Services.
But Dawson said she disagrees.
“There's a puzzle piece missing,” she said. “We don't believe it's money savings.”
When asked what other reasons Health Sciences North might have to switch providers, Dawson said she could not answer.
She said the hospital hasn't provided full disclosure about its reasons for changing laundry service providers.
Sarah Watters, general manager of Sudbury Hospital Services, told Sudbury.com that in addition to the 36 employees that will lose their jobs if the hospital changes laundry providers on April 1, eight management positions could also be at risk.
Dawson admitted Sudbury Hospital Services is “too top heavy,” but added the hospital would not save $500,000 if they were to cut more management positions.
In addition to the rally on Oct. 18 – with a location and time still to be determined – the Sudbury laundry workers plan to file grievances under their current contract, which the union says has been breached.
Union representatives also plan to bring their case to Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault.
“Keeping local jobs in Sudbury should be a priority for local MPP Glenn Thibeault,” said CUPE Local 2841 vice-president Nicole Mallette, in a press release. “We want him to stand up for us and keep our jobs here.”
