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Councillors back laundry workers facing layoffs

Agree to prepare an economic impact study, will send letter to province to object to the decision
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CUPE Local 2841 workers who provide laundry services to Health Sciences North have staged repeated rallies since news broke that they would lose their jobs when the hospital changed service providers. Tuesday, they packed city council chambers. File photo

Many of the 36 laundry workers facing layoffs at Sudbury Hospital Services were at city council Tuesday where they waited through a four-hour meeting before councillors passed a motion supporting them.

In October, Health Sciences North confirmed it was changing the provider for linen services to one in southern Ontario in a bid to save $500,000 a year. Mohawk Shared Services will provide laundry services for the hospital starting in April 2017. 

Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini brought forward a motion calling for staff to conduct an economic impact study of the cuts and for a letter to be sent to the province calling on them to change course.

"Many of (the workers) are here tonight,” Vagnini said, adding that some had to leave because their shifts start at 4 or 5 in the morning.

"We're talking about people who are constituents in each of our wards, who have homes,” he said. “If this goes through, they will possibly have to consider where they are with their homes and possibly could have to put them up for sale."

The city gives the hospital $1 million a year, Vagnini said, roughly equal to the income being lost by the layoffs. And it will only save the hospital a small fraction of its budget. 

"Is that worth the impact on these families?" he asked.

Economic development officer Ian Wood said the report would provide a basic outline of the impact and wouldn't take much staff time.

"It's not an overly complicated piece," Wood said. "At a quick estimate, half a day or a whole day."

Ward 6 Coun. Rene Lapierre supported sending a letter, but wondered what the point of the report would be.

"I don't think an economic impact analysis is our role," Lapierre said. 

Even if it comes back negative, what does council do, he asked.

And Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer said he was reluctant to have staff prepare a report that would be critical of another institution that faces many of the fiscal restraints the city faces.

"We should certainly send the letters saying we disagree with this action," Sizer said. "But it's not our business. (And) we know there's an economic impact of losing jobs in this city. I don't need a report to tell me that."

But Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier argued that since the city provides the hospital with significant funding, councillors do have a stake in hospital decisions. And past councillors have sent messages to employers during strikes "when their actions had a detrimental effect on our citizens.

"This is a 100-per-cent-taxpayer-funded facility,” Cormier said. “The taxpayers of this city have poured millions of dollars into that facility over the years ... This is government. This isn't Target moving jobs to the United States. This is the Government of Ontario."

While he doubts their actions will by themselves reverse the decision, he said the economic impact report will add some weight to the letter.

Councillors voted in favour of both the report and the study, with only Sizer voting against.

Vagnini said Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas will present it at the Ontario Legislature, and the issue will be raised with Labour Minister Kevin Flynn when he visits the city later this week.


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Darren MacDonald

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