Solidarity day, rallies expected for April: CUPE
Three of Canada's largest unions announced an alliance on March 27 that kicks off an escalating campaign of membership mobilization to push Ontario hospitals to return to bargaining.
This is the first time the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (OCHU/CUPE), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare and Unifor have come together to seek a negotiated agreement on behalf of 75,000 nurses, personal support workers, porters, administrative staff and dietary, cleaning and trades staff at 160 public hospitals in Ontario, according to CUPE.
A bargaining alliance is rare for the unions, which normally negotiate independently with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) — the hospital employers' umbrella group.
"By coming together, we are making history to demand that our members get the respect they deserve. The OHA has been unwilling to negotiate fairly, but I truly believe we are stronger together and I'm hopeful that our alliance will lead to us achieving positive outcomes for the 75,000 hospital staff we collectively represent," said Sharleen Stewart, SEIU Healthcare president.
Unifor, SEIU Healthcare and OCHU/CUPE hospital staff will work together to mobilize against the hospitals' demands for concessions to win a fair new collective agreement under the campaign banner of 'Together for Respect'. Collective actions include a province-wide solidarity day on April 11 and workplace rallies April 18, along with television and social media advertising that begins on April 9, said CUPE.
"Together we are going to resist concessions that the employers have been seeking, from mostly women workers who earn modest wages and deserve more respect," said Katha Fortier, assistant to the national president at Unifor.
Data from the Canadian Institute for Healthcare Information shows Ontario hospitals to have the fewest staff to population, the fewest beds, and the most rapid patient turnover in the country.
"Workloads for our members are very difficult and hospital staff are exhausted and stressed. They experience significant violence at work. The hospitals have reached agreements for paramedical staff, under the prevailing public sector pattern, but the hospitals refuse to extend this modest pattern to the nursing, clerical and support staff that we represent, let alone address issues like violence," said Michael Hurley, OCHU president.
