| Feb 18, 2015


Over 200 registered nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and others who provide patient intake and assessment services for the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) of Southeast Ontario have returned to work after a 16-day strike.

The breakthrough came at the negotiation table on Saturday, February 14, when negotiators for nine different CCACs met in Toronto with negotiators from the Ontario Nurses' Association and a mediator from the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

The parties agreed to refer the key issue in the dispute, which was wages, to 'final offer' arbitration. The abitrator, William Caplan, will hear from the parties no later than March 5, and will accept one of the offers by the end of March.

The two parties are seemingly not that far off in their proposals, and the ONA had requested arbitration before they went on strike, but management was not willing at that time.

The wage request from the ONA is a 1.4% increase in each year of a two-year agreement. The CCAC proposal is a 1.4% lump sum payment in the first year, and a 1.4% increase in year two. This was rejected by the ONA because even though it looks like the same offer, it translates into less money in year 2, which also means their members will be at a lower starting point when they begin to negotiate their new contract.

For example, if an ONA member earns $70,000 in 2014, they would then receive the same pay plus a $980 payment in 2015. In 2016, their pay would be $70,980. If they receive a 1.4% increase each year, they will earn $71,974 in 2016, which would be the base pay for negotiating a subsequent contract.

“We are very pleased that we will be able to resume our full range of care to patients,” says Megan Allen-Lamb, provincial CCAC spokesperson, and CEO of North Simcoe Muskoka CCAC. “We thank our patients, and health care partners in the home, community, long-term care and hospital sectors for their patience and support through this time. We look forward to having our employees return to CCACs to resume their important work in providing care to patients.”

The president of the Southeast ONA bargaining unit, Lisa Turner, was happy to be going back to work.

"We are very pleased that the government did step in to intervene and assist us in getting back to work so we can go back to our passion, which is caring for our clients," she told the Whig Standard earlier this week.

Members of the Provincial ONA executive were less forgiving.

“During this strike, there has been a colossal waste of health care dollars as the employer spent taxpayers’ money foolishly on catered meals for management, overtime, strike-breaking security firms and high-priced lawyers, and who knows what else – with complete disregard for the public purse,” said Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, in a media release.

Noting that arbitration was proposed by the ONA before they took strike action, ONA Vice President Vicki McCenna, RN, told the News that, “We were trying to avoid strike because CCAC work is essential to Ontarians, but the employers had refused and that is why we ended up on strike for over two weeks.

McCenna also pointed out that the CCACs have received a 5% increase in provincial funding this year and their management personnel have received wage increases in the 10% range.

“All that makes this whole situation difficult for our members to swallow. They are working harder and harder each year and there is no respect from the CCAC management."

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