Over the last 4 weeks, I’ve heard it all.
“Get another job.” “You’re greedy.” “You chose this life, take the deal.”
Yes, some could have taken the deal. But people still don’t understand why we’re fighting.
This strike is not just about CCAs.
This is about ALL of us standing together — housekeeping, dietary, recreation, maintenance, laundry, and CCAs. Every single department matters. Every single worker matters.
These workers spend more time with residents than they do with their own families. They know residents by their real names and their nicknames. They know their stories, their routines, their fears, and what makes them smile. They listen to them when they’re lonely. They comfort them when they’re scared. They become family.
People judge long-term care workers without ever seeing what really happens inside those buildings.
Come work a 12-hour shift before you judge us.
Come do the endless loads of laundry — sheets, towels, face cloths, soiled laundry, over and over again. Come see what maintenance deals with every single day. Come work in dietary serving hundreds of meals. Come work recreation and try to bring joy to residents who are struggling. Come spend one day in the shoes of a CCA caring for residents physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you judge them.
And despite what people want to believe, not every nursing home is being run badly during this strike. Some residents are still getting their showers, proper meals, and good care. Some are still being served on regular dishes — not paper plates. Residents ARE being cared for.
What’s disappointing is hearing about managers bullying staff during this strike. These workers are the backbone of long-term care homes.
During COVID, LTC workers were called heroes. Now the same workers are being attacked for standing up for what was promised to them.
Minimum wage has increased multiple times, and nobody complains about that. But when LTC workers — who deal with physical exhaustion, emotional stress, dementia care, death, abuse, and burnout — ask for fair wages and respect, suddenly we’re “greedy.”
Yes, we chose this work. But let’s be honest — many families cannot care for loved ones with dementia or complex needs at home because it is incredibly hard. LTC workers step in and do that care every single day.
So when the people doing one of the hardest jobs out there ask for fairness, why are they being shamed for it?
We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for respect, fairness, and recognition for the work we do every single day.
