Hamilton hospital workers on Wednesday joined their counterparts across Ontario in wearing stickers saying “Together for Respect.”
It’s a union-led effort to raise awareness about issues such as workplace violence and to make gains at the bargaining table.
Leaders of three public sector unions, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, SEIU Healthcare and Unifor, banded together late last month to bargain with the Ontario Hospital Association.
The unions are trying to negotiate new contracts for 75,000 workers at more than 100 Ontario hospitals, including nurses, personal support workers, porters, admin, cleaning, dietary and trades staff.
Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, told The Bill Kelly Show on Wednesday that talks with the OHA have stalled, and the unions are pushing the employer to address violence faced by its members on the job.
“The reality is that we face a tremendous number of serious concessions in bargaining and we haven’t been able to get the hospitals to move on the issue of violence and we haven’t been able to get them to move to extend the same deal they reached voluntarily with a large group of hospital employees to the rest of its staff,” he said.
Hurley said a recent survey of his members suggests that 68 per cent have suffered violence on the job in the last year and about 40 per cent have been sexually assaulted or harassed.
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Hospital overcrowding is a factor in the workplace safety issue, Hurley said, because there are “real access problems because of underfunding and as a result, in an atmosphere where people dealing with very serious concerns about the health conditions of their loved ones, tempers fray and alcohol and drugs can be involved.”
“All these things are part of a brew that creates a bit of an environment where staff are routinely victimized,” he said.
He said hoping to make gains at the bargaining table to improve working conditions as well as increase wages.
In a statement, the Ontario Hospital Association said it values the hard work and dedication of its employees and expressed disappointment that negotiations with the unions reached an “impasse” last year.
The organization said it’s looking forward to resuming negotiations in meetings that have been set for April 21 and 22.
“The OHA has always been willing to talk to our union partners in an effort to reach an agreement that is fair and reasonable for hospital employees, while providing the best quality care to patients and reflecting the challenges facing the hospital sector today,” the statement said.
Ahead of those negotiations, on April 18, the unions plan to hold rallies at hospitals across the province.
With files from Kerri Breen
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