Ontario hospital nurses start contract talks, plan 'escalating actions'
The Ontario Nurses' Association started negotiating a new contract Monday for hospital nurses and the union is planning to take its push for higher wages beyond the bargaining table.
The nurses, and other broader public sector workers, have been subject for three years to a wage restraint law known as Bill 124, which capped increases at one per cent a year.
Bernie Robinson, the interim president of the ONA, said the last contract left nurses feeling disrespected and devalued.
"Safe to say that we are looking for far more," she said during a break from negotiations.
"We're looking for respectful wage increases, and basically to be able to retain nurses so that we can have the staff there to improve working conditions and improve care for patients."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
An Ontario court found Bill 124 unconstitutional late last year, but the government has filed a notice of intent to appeal.
As talks begin, the union is planning a series of "escalating actions," starting with having nurses wear stickers while at work that highlight the bargaining priorities of better wages, better staffing and better care.
Late next month, nurses will begin holding information pickets at hospitals as well as at offices of members of provincial parliament. ONA is planning a protest on March 2 outside the Toronto hotel where bargaining is taking place.
"You're going to see more protests, more pickets across the province as our nurses get louder," Robinson said.
The nurses do not have the right to strike and Robinson says they will not be engaging in illegal walkouts.
The Ontario Hospital Association has said it greatly values nurses and hopes to achieve a "voluntarily, mutually agreed-upon collective agreement."
A nurse looks outside while in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Talks are set to take place all this week and the last two days in February. The two sides have agreed to take any outstanding issues beyond those days to mediation March 1 and 2, and if that doesn't produce a contract, they have agreed to arbitration on May 2 and 3.
Teachers are also currently in bargaining with the government for their first post-Bill 124 contracts. Education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees late last year negotiated a $1-per-hour raise each year, or about 3.59 per cent annually, for the average worker.
Hospital nurses currently earn $34.24 an hour as a starting salary, per their last contract, and are subject to a grid that goes up to 25 years, when they can earn $49.02 an hour. The current contract expires March 31.
Robinson is not divulging the specific proposals the ONA will make at the bargaining table, but said she will also be pushing for improved policies on vacation, workloads and work-life balance, as they will also help with staff recruitment and retention.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.