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The new collective agreement covers more than 2,000 hospital workers across northern Ontario and builds on an established pattern that prioritizes staffing stability and wage parity.
“I’m incredibly proud of our members for holding their ground and standing up for patient care in the North, their determination at the table will translate to improved care and more staffing stability in a region where it’s desperately needed,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
The contract includes wage improvements of 6% over the life of the agreement, along with increases to orthodontics and other dental benefits, mental health supports, and enhanced coverage for hearing aids, eye exams, along with physiotherapy and chiropractic services.
“A key issue impacting care in the region is short staffing caused by inconsistent wages, benefits, and working conditions within and between hospitals, where workers doing the same jobs are compensated differently,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi.
Negotiations began between Unifor Locals 229 and 1359 and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), which bargains on behalf of the Northern Hospital Group, virtually on March 10, with in-person bargaining from March 24-27, followed by a move to mediation that concluded in early June.
Unifor recently held a week-long lobby at Queen’s Park, where The lobby concluded with a massive march and rally for public health care at the legislature.
“Deals like this lift wages and match a standard in the region that we’ll continue improving through hard bargaining and pushing for a provincial staffing strategy that meets both patients’ and workers’ needs,” said Unifor Local 229 President Kari Jefford.
Members will also receive enhanced vacation entitlements, ensuring that members receive more paid-time off sooner, and new, paid leave for members who have experienced domestic or sexual violence.
“We recently took our fight for public health care to Queen’s Park, where dozens of health care and social service workers from across Ontario met directly with MPPs to raise concerns about burnout, underfunding, unsafe workloads, recruitment and retention challenges, and the growing pressure facing Ontario’s health care system, things we need to address both at the bargaining table and through legislation that puts patients and workers first,” said Unifor Local 1359 President Cathy Humalamaki.
Hospitals represented by Unifor Local 229 include Atikokan Health and Community Services, Geraldton District Hospital, Santé Manitouwadge Health, Nipigon District Memorial Hospital, the North of Superior Healthcare Group, and St. Joseph’s Care.
Hospitals represented by Unifor Local 1359 include St. Joseph’s General Hospital, Sault Area Hospital and Lady Dunn Health Centre.
Unifor launches new Care Can’t Wait campaign
The union recently launched the Care Can’t Wait campaign to push for safe staffing, stronger public services, an end to privatization, and meaningful investments in frontline workers as part of its fight for a health care system that prioritizes patients, workers, and quality care over corporate profit.
