FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hamilton, ON – The union representing 4,750 hospital staff at Hamilton Health Sciences is launching a full-throttle campaign in response to the 413 staffing cuts announced last week. The hospital has indicated it will eliminate 143 nursing positions and 84 health care aides (PSW equivalents).
“We won’t accept these cuts to critical frontline jobs – we will do everything in our power to mobilize our members and the community to shield the patients who desperately rely on our hospital services,” said Jillian Watt, president of CUPE 7800.
“The hospital is already under-resourced and requires more staffed beds, not less. Further cuts will hurt patients with longer waits for surgeries, clinical procedures and emergency care, and worsen hallway health care,” she said.
The union will be launching a six-month long campaign on Friday. More details will be shared at a CUPE press conference on Friday outside the McMaster Children’s Hospital site of HHS.
Who: Jillian Watt, president of CUPE 7800, representing 4,750 HHS workers
CUPE 7800 executive board members
What: CUPE 7800 press conference
When: 12 p.m. on Friday, September 25
Where: McMaster Children’s Hospital (HHS), 1200 Main St W, Hamilton, ON
For more information, contact:
Zee Noorsumar, CUPE Communications
znoorsumar@cupe.ca
647-995-9859
