In recent years, Unifor has been advocating for wage increases and benefit improvements for its health care workers in Ontario. The union is confident that the same awards will be granted to their members as those received by OCHU-CUPE and SEIU Healthcare members in a recent arbitration decision.
Unifor’s Northern Group, which includes 15 acute care units from Locals 229 and 1359 in Northern Ontario, began negotiations on February 13, 2024, with mediation scheduled for May 4. The union’s bargaining committee is optimistic about the news of the 6% wage gains and other improvements awarded to OCHU-CUPE and SEIU Healthcare members.
Unifor believes that every person in the province deserves access to quality public health care, and this requires supporting health care workers with respectable pay and working conditions. That is why Unifor is committed to working collaboratively with its sister unions to achieve a similar outcome for its own health care workers in Ontario.
The three influential unions are championing a 10-point Solidarity Pact aimed at saving public health care through improvements to worker pay. As stated by Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi, they are working towards preventing publicly funded health care from being under constant threat and ensuring it is not exploited for profit. Learn more about Unifor’s mission to restore public health care in Ontario at savehealthcare.ca.
Overall, Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, representing over 315,000 workers across various industries. The union advocates for workers’ rights, fights for equality and social justice, and aims to create progressive change for a better future.
