Health care workers rallied in Victoria Park Thursday, and the Unifor members say if something isn't done to fix the health care system, more at-risk people will fall through the cracks.

The union says that health care will be underfunded nationally by about $36 billion over the next 10 years, and many are concerned for the future.

Tamara Martelle is a long-term care home worker who says many are  "Stressed - physically, mentally, emotionally."

Most of the workers at the rally were Unifor members who primarily work in long-term care facilities.

Members say that along with seniors, the facilities are now also taking on assisted living patients and some with mental health issues.

They say meeting all the varying demands is taking a toll.

"Unfortunately we are staying hours and not getting paid for hours we are staying and doing extra because we have the compassion as workers, in this field, to look after the indviduals. But unfortunately the government is not seeing the extras behind the curtain that we do," Martelle says.

The union says a nearly three-year pay freeze imposed by the province is adding to the stress.

Nancy McMurphy of Unifor Local 302 says, "Many of them are part-time workers, they're working two and three jobs in order to try and support their family. And they need to see an increase. They don't want an arbitrated collective agreement, they want a negotiated agreement. And we believe that's the right way to go so the membership have a chance to ratify it."

The rally moved from Victoria Park to the offices of London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews and then the offices of London North Centre MP Susan Truppe.

Unifor says the federal government refuses to discuss a new Canada Health Accord - the blueprint for federal contributions to provincial health care - and believe it is part of an effort to increase privatized health care.

McMurphy says, "There was a time when there was a 50/50 split - 50 per cent came federally, 50 was provincially - now there's approximately 14 per cent coming from the federal government. They need to take more of a responsibility."

More rallies are planned as Unifor says it will continue to try to bring attention to what they call a health care crisis.