Upwards of 200 people attended a rally today at Province House to show solidarity with Out of the Cold (OTC) community service workers. The workers and their union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2, are calling on the Houston Government take three steps. First, require the new service provider to offer employment to the existing experienced workers that have fostered relationships with residents. Second, respect the workers’ collective bargaining agreement; and third, meet with the workers to plan a transition that will keep the community safe, respects workers and the needs of the people living in the Out of the Cold facilities.
“The actions of the provincial government to abruptly close Out of the Cold are appalling,” said Julie Brown. “The sudden and unexpected closure that took place last Tuesday was undignified for our team and residents we serve. There was no need for it.”
Julie, a Resident Support Worker, had been working at Out of the Cold since the spring of 2022, when the OTC first opened.
On July 8, Houston’s Government left 42 workers jobless without notice as it suddenly shut down Out of the Cold operations. OTC had been running two modular supportive housing sites, one on Cogswell Street in Halifax and the other on Church Street in Dartmouth. At the time of the abrupt closure, 60 residents were being housed.
Carlo Cininni was a Resident Support Worker at the Dartmouth site and had been at OTC since June 2023. He was enjoying a day off, unaware of the events unfolding at his workplace.
“The Dartmouth site was given only 15 minutes to vacate the premises. Some of my colleagues were threatened with arrest if we went past that time,” said Carlo. “My colleagues were told that they could not say goodbye to clients. It was a traumatizing experience for my co-workers.”
The workers are not refuting concerns around mismanagement, but say that if mismanagement was the concern, this is not the way to go about fixing the situation.
“As a Union, we were actively invested and organizing towards improving the workplace,” said Carlo. “I am proud of the work we did.”
“What message is the government sending about how it values workers and the most vulnerable in the province by abruptly laying off unionized housing workers during a housing and cost-of-living crisis?” asked Carlo.
“We were helping keep people off the street, indoors and providing a safe space for clients,” said Austin Hiltz, a Resident Support Worker at the Halifax site since June of 2022. “Workers shouldn’t be punished for what the Houston Government says is mismanagement.”
Many at the rally expressing solidarity work in nearby shelters and supportive housing efforts. Amongst them was Shannon Power, an employee at Welcome Housing and a member of SEIU Local 2.
“Our message to the government-bosses that trampled on the livelihoods of 42 working families is simple: We are a union that fights back!” she said. Shannon also announced the launch of a Workers’ Council that unifies housing workers within SEIU to organize powerfully, together.
Although the OTC board published a statement saying that they will do everything to ensure that workers are fully paid for hours worked, vacation pay and severance, workers have not been provided concrete information. No one has spoken to them about what is happening with their health benefits or if there is a client transition plan.
