Algoma Public Health nurses may be forced to strike
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 by: SooToday.com Staff
NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO NURSES'
ASSOCIATION
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Algoma Public Health nurses may be forced to strike
Conciliation fails, Board of Health refuses to bargain
SAULT STE. MARIE - Algoma Public Health registered nurses and nurse practitioners may be forced on strike following the failure of conciliation and the failure of the Board of Health to provide a mandate to bargain to the employer.
The nurses - members of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) - provide public health services to residents in the District of Algoma, including Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, Blind River, Elliot Lake and many of the surrounding small towns and townships.
They are the lowest-paid public health nurses in the province.
"The Board of Health's actions have made it clear that they have no respect for the invaluable services our public health nurses provide to the community," says ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "The Board is also failing to respect the community they are here to serve by forcing our nurses into withdrawing their services."
The nurses are asking for nominal improvements that reflect the value they provide to this community.
"While Algoma nurses remain the lowest-paid of all their peers, the Algoma Medical Officer of Health has received a salary increase of $106,000 in just three years," notes Haslam-Stroud.
As the nurses prepare for a strike, ONA will file bad-faith bargaining charges against the Board of Health.
The nurses are in a legal strike position on November 1, 2012.
Flu clinics are scheduled to run November through January and may be at risk of cancellation should the nurses be forced to take job action.
The nurses will be joining CUPE members, who have also been without a contract for a year, outside the Board of Health meeting tonight to participate in sharing information regarding their work.
ONA is the union representing 59,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals as well as more than 13,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
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frauleinbroomhilda 10/18/2012 1:09:16 AM ReportMaybe we should thank Dalton for this too! Nurses...fight, fight, fight...you're worth every friggin' penny!
Derd78 10/18/2012 3:29:18 AM ReportIf ONA and CUPE stand together I wouldn't want to be on the other side of that fight.
JanMarie 10/18/2012 7:38:19 AM ReportYou hear all this news about ONA, that represents RN's. RPN get CAW, we share a union that doesn't give a *&%$ about us. You ask any nurse it's a joke. ONA has all the power to make difference RPN are stuck. We do practically the same job and they get all money. It's a crime but I close my mouth unlike these people because it's a job and in this economy that's like gold.
girlfriend 10/18/2012 8:23:00 AM ReportYes, it is a job - but you weren't just GIVEN that job! You worked hard, paid for an education, and you should be valued! If you think they are going to make up for your losses in the next contract - you are wrong! Fight for your rights!
Cashmier 10/18/2012 10:34:15 AM ReportJanMarie - while I agree, RPNs play an important role in health care and should be valued...
To say that you do the same job as an RN SHOULD be an exaggeration (notice emphasis on should). RNs now require a 4 year degree compared to the RPN requirement of a 2 year diploma. Sault College tuition rates for the RN program come in at over $6,000/yr for 4 years. The RPN program has tuition at $3,300/yr for 2 years. The 4 year degree requirement enables the assignment of increased responsibility to RNs. RPNs should not be doing the same duties as an RN due to lack of official qualifications and accountability (med management, IVs, etc.).
I do agree that RPNs are probably underpaid. And just for clarity, I'm not a nurse.
Sweets312 10/18/2012 12:59:26 PM ReportCashmier is exactly right. And I'm not a nurse either. JanMarie, why not further your education then if you want more pay? Don't be putting this on the unions...it's the Board that isn't progressing on any issue with either of the two unions. I'm sorry you're not happy with things and of course everyone is happy to have employment during these difficult economic times. But, does that mean we just bend over and take it? Do we continue to allow them to bully us? I don't know about you, but I won't. I have a right to fight for my rights as does everyone else. And nobody will take that from me. Unions do so much for everyone, even people that are not part of a union. P.S. it's not just about money either although, according to this article, the MOH received a huge increase. Why isn't anyone in the community questioning that?? Those are your tax dollars!
Note: Comments that appear on the site are not the opinion of SooToday.com. Keep discussions civil and on topic. Refrain from obscenity and don't post anything that your grandmother would be ashamed to read. Those who do not abide by these guidelines will have their membership revoked without notice. If you see an abusive post, please click the link beside the post to report it.
