Workers in the Disability sector say they are in a staffing crisis. According to the Alberta Disability Workers Association, staff have not received a wage increase in almost eight years. They are calling on the Alberta Government to raise the wages of Community Disability Support Workers by 25 percent.
The rise of cost of living often be crushing. Especially when the last time your wage was increased was back in 2014. Tim and LeAnne Meyer are a couple of the approximately 15,000 Albertans who work in the disability sector and are passionate for what they do.
The Alberta Disability Workers Association has recently launched a campaign called “Essential But Forgotten” in order to bring awareness of the wage and staffing crisis the workers in the sector face. They are asking the Alberta Government to increase funding so that workers can get a 25 percent wage increase. The Meyers say that amount is what is needed for them to survive and have a family life.
According to a 2021 report, the average hourly wage for a Community Disability Support worker, which represents 89 percent of the workforce is $18.76