Sudbury Hospital Services laundry workers are planning a rally for today at noon in front of Health Sciences North, at the Paris Street entrance.
The hospital decided last fall to change its laundry service provider from Sudbury Hospital Services to a Southern Ontario-based company starting in April to save around $500,000 per year.
That means 38 people with Sudbury Hospital Services will lose their jobs said the workers' union, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2847.
At recent separate meetings, both HSN and Sudbury MPP Glen Thibeault failed to provide any concrete commitments to reverse the outsourcing of laundry jobs to an out-of-Sudbury provider, said a press release from the union.
"We're challenging our MPP who is the provincial government's northern Ontario regional minister to stand up for jobs in our community and get these job cuts rescinded,” said Sharon Richer secretary-treasurer of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) and a resident of Sudbury.
“Our community can't afford any more stall tactics from him and it seems to us he's just trying to run the clock down to the end of March when the layoff is final. As for the hospital, they know that the right thing to do is keep the work local.
“Sudburians who have provided millions of dollars in fundraising support and through their municipal taxes, deserve the hospital's loyalty in keeping these jobs right here.”
CUPE Local 2487 president Gisele Dawson said many people have reached out to the workers to say the hospital's rationale in changing service providers just doesn't add up.
“On behalf of the laundry workers we represent, I want to say a heartfelt thank you for all the kindness and solidarity so many in Sudbury and on the social site have shown us,” she said.
