Over 100 Unifor delegates took part in the Hospital Bargaining LeadershipMeetings held this past February in Toronto. “As this is a major year for Hospitalbargaining with many Hospital agreements open this spring and into the fall wegathered to prepare ourselves and ensure we are putting forward the agenda ofworkers in this sector” said Andy Savela Unifor Director of Health Care. Presentationsfrom Unifor economist Jordan Brennan and researcher Mike Yam informedmembers on the economic environment and what has and is happening withrespect to hospital settlements. Delegates also developed language to addresscurrent concerns around numerous issues including violence in the workplace andprotection of bargaining unit work.

Since this meeting, union representatives have met with the Ontario HospitalAssociation who speak on behalf of many Hospitals. “They are well aware of theissues and the agenda of our members and the need to address them in ourupcoming negotiations” said Katha Fortier Assistant to the President. “The entiregroup will influence the overall settlement”.

March 2017 | PULSE 1

PULSEVOLUME 9, NO. 1 • MARCH 2017

Unifor Health CareJERRY DIAS NATIONAL PRESIDENT • ROBERT J. ORR NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER • RENAUD GAGNÉ QUEBEC DIRECTOR

� Rockwood Terrace LongTerm Care Home

� CHC Pharmacare Lobbyon the Hill

� Impact of NS Long TermCare Cuts

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hospital Bargaining Leadership Meeting Nursing Homes RatifyNew ContractsUnifor Local 302 and 11 NursingHomes concluded an agreementwhich ratified in December. UniforLocals 2458 and 1106 also ratified acontract covering 11 nursing homes.They saw improvement to wages,benefits, premiums, part-time in lieuand a letter of understanding re“working short” and a process par-ties should follow to deal with thismatter. Local 302 saw a premiumfor RPN’s working in additionalcapacity. Local 2458 and 1106 sawadjustments for HCA (now PSW’s)and RPN/RNs. “We were able tocraft settlements that fit the needsfor each home”, reported RobertBuchanan National Representative,heading up these negotiations. Thesettlements were very well receivedby the membership as you can tellby the overall vote percentage ofover 80%.”Three paramedics from Unifor Local 1359 were honoured recently by

3 survivors in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Mary Casola, Mark Jagt, and Robert Larkinwere thanked for their quickresponse and actions that helpedsave lives and bring them back totheir families.

Everyday paramedics are firstrespondents to serious incidents andperform heroic measures to ensurethe safety and well-being for resi-dents in their community.

Honouring our Paramedics

continued page 3...

2 March 2017 | PULSE

Rockwood Terrace in Grey County, where our members are representedby Unifor Local 302, were met with the challenge of a 2014 provincial long-termcare renewal strategy requiring all long-term care facilities be upgraded to meetClass A standards by 2025. Currently, about half the beds in the province meetthat level. Rockwood Terrace, built in 1984, is a Class C facility and meetsstandards set out in 1972.

A consultant group, which generated recommendations, seemed to be leaningto close Rockwood Terrace and move the facility’s 100 beds to a new wing of theGrey Gables home in Markdale, 50 kilometres from Durham.

The decision to potentially close the home precipitated significant reaction from residents and the community. A committee tosave Rockwood Terrace was formed, including community and family groups, Unifor Local 302 members and staff. Organizeddemonstrations against the closing and regularly attended council meetings in great numbers meant these issues were heard.“We supported a fight back campaign by submitting a full page ad to the West Grey Community Spotlight magazine, which heldcouncillors feet to the fire” said Unifor Area Director Bill Gibson.

Positive news was recently uncovered with a recommendation for the amalgamation of beds from Grey Gables and Rockwoodinto a single Long Term Care home in Durham. Unifor members in attendance held signs and wore t-shirts reading “SaveRockwood”. “We anticipate a positive outcome” said Local 302 co-chairpersons Renee Bourque and Jeff Wells, whose advocacyon behalf of the community, residents, families and members of the Rockwood facility deserves acknowledgement. These effortscontinue with the anticipation of the meeting May 11, 2017.

Rockwood Terrace Long Term Care Home, Unifor Local 302

Extendicare and Revera Long-Term CareHomes Secure New AgreementsBargaining in Ontario’s long-term care sector isnever simple. With the pressures faced by workers onthe job, it’s been important to seek appropriate gains thatrespect the hard work being done by members in thissector. There were serious challenges when facingfor-profit employers who demanded concessions,particularly to sick leave plans and benefits.

The bargaining committees of Extendicare and Reveraremained determined to resist concessions and toachieve a fair settlement on their member’s behalf.

January 2017, the master bargaining committee for 10Extendicare Homes and 9 Revera Homes in Ontarioreached a tentative agreement. The new agreementincludes improvements to wages, benefits, premiumsand part-time in lieu. There was also an agreement withthe employer to review the recent Tribunal precedentsas they relate to maintaining the Proxy Pay Equity Plans,including a process to re-evaluate jobs.

Ratification votes took place in all Extendicare andRevera homes involved at the master Bargaining tableand the new collective agreements were ratified by therespective members.

CHC Pharmacare Lobby on the Hill50 Unifor members engaged in a lobby organizedby the Canadian Health Coalition to urge parliamentariansto bring in a national pharmacare program.

“Despite universal medicare, we need a nationalpharmacare program to not only increase access tohealth care, but to lower overall drug costs,” said KathaFortier, Assistant to the National President, who tookpart in the CHC lobby.

Unifor members participated in over 100 lobbysessions with MPs. “Our Union has been a strongadvocate for improving medicare, including estab-lishing a pharmacare program” said Andy Savela,Director of Healthcare.

3March 2017 | PULSE

On March 10, the provinces of Ontario, Quebec andAlberta signed agreements for health care transfers withthe federal government, leaving Manitoba as the onlyprovince yet to sign.

“It is a positive sign that Ottawa has made mentalhealth and home care priorities in its agreements with theprovinces,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Butwe want to ensure there are benchmarks for eachprovince to deliver the kind of mental health and continu-ing care services that Canadians need.”

Given the length of time between the federal govern-ment’s initial proposal in December and when theprovinces agreed to the deals, there is concern the fund-ing is not enough to address the needs foreseen by theprovinces and firsthand by health care workers, especial-ly with regards to hospitals and long-term care.

“The public hasn’t been given all the details yet abouthow the new funding formula will work, but we do knowthat the base funding per year will not increase at thesame pace it has over the previous decade,” said AndySavela, Unifor Health Care Director. “Unifor membersworking in hospitals and long-term care facilities are wit-nessing a greater need for far more complex care thanthey’ve seen before, so any scaling back in funding isgoing to mean a decrease in service and added stress forhealth care workers.”

People of all ages struggling with mental health issuesincreasingly reside in long-term care facilities. Fundingacross the country has not kept pace to adequately addressthe needs that arise in caring for these residents who mayhave psychiatric disorders, as well as dementia andAlzheimer’s Disease in addition to other complex conditions.

“There is an urgent need to ensure that the targetedfunding for mental health care includes long-term carehomes,” said Katha Fortier, Assistant to the President.“We’ve already seen an increase in resident-to-residentand resident-worker violence. Health care workers and res-idents have the right to be safe from violence and adequatestaffing levels and training are key elements in prevention.”

Unifor fully supports funding directed to mental health,but cautions that we don’t make the assumption that needsare being met adequately within the current tiers of care.

“Targeted mental health funding should follow the patientregardless of where they are receiving care and treatment,”added Fortier. “That could be in a hospital, in the communi-ty, or in a group facility or long-term care home.”

Canada Health Transfer Agreements

In February, on the stormiest day of the year, Unifor alongwith Sault Ste. Marie and Area Health Coalition and otherunion’s came to support front line workers who are getting laidoff at Extendicare Maple View. The question asked was “whenwill Extendicare put residents before profits?”

Unifor Health Care workers in the Long Term Care Sectorare fighting critical staffing levels while trying to maintainexcellent resident care. The rally effectively put pressure on thegovernment to re-establish the Health Accord and a MinimumCare Standard that would provide each resident with at least 4hours a day of hands-on care. Bill 188 a Private Members Bill,known as the “Time to Care Act” was introduced during thespring session of the Ontario Legislature by France Gelinas,MPP (NDP) and has passed the first reading. “We need thegovernment to hear our voices to ensure that there is enoughfront line workers providing the kind of quality and dignity ofcare of daily living that our seniors deserve and have earned”said Unifor Local 1359 President Laurie Lessard-Brown.

Fighting For our Workers at ExtendicareMaple View in Sault Ste. Marie, ON

“We’re here to help people, and its’s not too often we get tosee the survivor because we’re often not able to talk to themagain after we do our job”, said Mary Casola, Unit Chair EMSwho has been a paramedic for 27 years.

Thank you EMS for doing what you do. You are everyday heroes.

continued from page 1...

Save the Date

Honouring our Paramedics

Health Care Conference June 9th to 11th, Port Elgin A planning committee with members from this sectorhave been working on the agenda and logistics of theconference. The call letter to locals is on its way.

March 2017 | PULSE4

PULSEUNIFOR HEALTH CARE 205 Placer Court,

Toronto, ON, M2H 3H9 T: 1.866.832.1122 ext2001

www.unifor.org

Unifor local leaders working in long-term care inNova Scotia made sure the province’s health minister knew theimpact two years of funding cuts have had on the quality ofcare for seniors.

They were bold and heartfelt when they met with MinisterLeo Glavine and they did not shy away from explaining howdevastating the cuts to funding have been on staffing levels,patient care, and food budgets.

“This is so unfair to our seniors, and for the government to

have said the cuts don’t have an impact on care is ridiculous,”said Linda MacLeod, President of Local 4620. “Greater care isrequired, yet we’re consistently understaffed and asked to do12 hours of work in eight.”

Atlantic Regional Director Lana Payne told the ministerincluding the deputy minister and the heads of continuing careand labour relations, “to address the crisis, we want the cutsreversed and we want an investment in long-term care thatdelivers dignity to residents and seniors and respectslong-term care providers.”

Unifor has launched advertisements across the province andon social media to demand the government reverse the cuts.The union is encouraging Nova Scotians to sign the onlinepetition directed at Premier Stephen McNeil, and to call theirMLA. The petition and updates on the campaign can be foundat unifor.org/LTC.

Town Hall Meeting on LTC – Nancy McMurphyThursday March 16, Teresa Armstrong, London-Fanshawe NDP MPP and recently appointed NDP Critic forLTC and Homecare, chaired a town hall meeting to learn about challenges in the Long Term Care sector.

Family members, Long Term Care workers, retired care providers and a strong Unifor presence met in the Pond MillsLibrary, lining the walls with concerned individuals.

Those who spoke made it abundantly clear they had a serious concern regarding lack of front-line staff, lack of timewith each resident, expressing concern for the aging population. Nancy McMurphy, President of Local 302 noted “wehave seen a continual decline in the medical status of the residentsentering the long term care facilities coupled with a dramatic increase indementia and mental health issues. Unfortunately the funding and staffinglevels don’t reflect these changes”. One PSW spoke passionately abouther frustration of having to rush the residents through their morning care,giving 6-7 minutes per resident to get them up and ready to attendbreakfast each morning. As disturbing as this is to staff it is equallydisappointing to residents who deserve dignity and compassion and totheir family members who rightfully expect optimal levels of care.

Positive input for change was put forward such as defined minimum staffing levels of at least four hours per resident perday, increase in dietary for nourishment to the resident and unannounced inspections. Those in attendance we given aUnifor wrist band “Dignity4residents – Respect4caregivers” and asked that this message be taken back to the nextparliamentary session.

Members tell NS Health Minister Impacts of Cuts to Long-Term Care