Letter template for you to use - Team Leader

What is happening in the disability services sector

There seems to be a discourse in the disability services sector. There has been no wage increase in at least 7 years with no hope insight of an increase. The cost of living is going up and it seems that people are working, (barely surviving, not thriving) to work. Agencies are having difficulty hiring due to mostly low wage start.

When someone is hired, they often leave due to the work expected and low wage. (no incentive to stay)

It is rather ironic that people are paid at a lower wage working with living beings than with equipment.

In order for the disability services sector to be respected, valued and represented in a positive light, the wage has to equal the work. With low wages, the turnover rate in staffing is increased and poor choices of staff will be hired.

It appears that experienced and educated staff are leaving or looking to leave this sector as they can not thrive with the low wage we are paid. We feel undervalued by those who pay us (PDD), over worked and unappreciated by the powers that be. At the beginning of the pandemic, we had no direction from any authorities in our sector (PDD). We were a ship sailing adrift. Thank goodness for the leadership in our agency, other wise we would have been an agency left to our own devices.

It is disgraceful that when the Alberta government was distributing the “essential service worker $1200.00,”that our sector was completely over looked. It appeared that the Premier and Chief medical officer didn’t recognize our sector at all and categorized us as LTC. They were not aware at all of the disability services sector. At least that’s how I perceived it.

It’s was also disgraceful that ADWA members had to write letters to our MLA’s to be recognized and made us feel like we had to beg for the $1200.00. In a most patronizing way, we are finally receiving it. We should not have had to fight for this. Something needs to change. We need to be recognized and respected. That is shown by increasing our wages to a living wage to reflect what we do. We should not have to work more than one job to survive (most of us do and some 3 or 4 jobs). We deserve a good quality of life just as we make sure those individuals we support have.

Sincerely,

Tracy R.