Jamie Dunk – Palisade Gardens

Jamie Dunk – Palisade Gardens

Jamie Dunk works as a UCP in the Nursing Department at Palisade Gardens Retirement Residence in Cobourg. Jamie has been at the home for 16 years and says the thing that she enjoys most about her job is the residents. Jamie is there for the residents and says “I enjoy helping them, they are like family and for some of them; we are all they have.” Jaime goes above and beyond for both colleagues and residents including bringing in her puppy for visits, which the residents love, and supplying essential items needed for daily use they may not have access to.

Jamie is glad to work in a unionized home because of the job security and receiving wage increases on a regular basis. She appreciates knowing that the members are secure in their jobs and having a grievance procedure in place to ensure that situations are handled appropriately.

When Jamie started working at the home it was not unionized, but once it became certified, she got involved with negotiations and stepped up to be a steward to ensure the collective agreement is followed. Jamie is also on the Health and Safety and Labour Management committees.

Jamie believes the best part of being a steward is the ability to advocate for her fellow colleagues and getting first hand information to share with everyone to keep the membership up to date and informed. The biggest challenge for Jamie is that sometimes the information and situations dealt with at this type of workplace can be heavy, and it has been a challenge to be part of sharing difficult news.