Strike deadline looms for Sault's emergency medical services first responders

NEWS RELEASE
UNIFOR
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Unifor Local 1359's negotiating committee has been working over the last two days with the City's negotiating committee to see if the parties could come to a fair and respectful agreement that the union's negotiating committee could recommend to the membership for ratification.  

Unfortunately, the City through their negotiators, continued with their disrespectful bargaining proposals which has led to an impasse and a 'no board report' has been requested. A strike deadline for Unifor's 54 paramedics - first responders has been set for Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 00:01 am.

The Union's negotiating committee is determined to get a collective agreement that remains competitive with other collective agreements within the industry and nothing more. 

The City and it's negotiating committee has offered an extremely disrespectful offer forcing the 54 Paramedics into a strike position. This means a reduction to the services the city provides to the citizens in Sault Ste. Marie. The citizens of Sault Ste. Marie pay $85 per resident for Emergency Medical Services while the median across Northern Ontario is $187 per resident amongst our city's nine peer comparators. 

The City of Thunder Bay and surrounding area has a population of approximately 110,000 residents and they have 45 ambulances that respond to 27,000 calls. They recently received 7.75 per cent wage increase over the same period being proposed for your paramedics, in order for them to remain competitive. 

The City of Sault Ste. Marie has a population of approximately 80,000 residents and they have nine ambulances and respond to over 17,000 calls last year. The city and its negotiating committee has offered your paramedics a wage increase of .25 per cent each year for the same three-year period. Given the volume of calls per ambulance that our paramedics respond too, this is insulting and does not respect where they need to be to remain competitive in their industry.  

Two years ago, the city hired four commanders which roughly cost the City between $500,000-550,000 per year and they claim they have no monies for the 54 Unifor paramedics who are the first link to the life-saving actions in our community. Paramedics are integral to the health and safety of all citizens of Sault Ste. Marie and they deserve a respectful, fair and competitive collective agreement.

"We are not going from one of the better collective agreement to the worst in one round of bargaining. This is madness," said Laurie Lessard-Brown, President of Unifor Local 1359.

Join us Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall to help us send a clear message to City Council that our Emergency First Responders-EMS deserve better. They deserve a fair and respectful collective agreement and that we don't want services impacted.

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