We’ve never been so thankful for the front-line public sector workers who keep Ontario running — especially during such challenging times. They maintained the public services we rely on more than ever and took care of our loved ones. Working different jobs, they’ve helped keep our communities as safe as possible during the height of…
The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) is calling on the province to rescind emergency measures that have taken away the workplace rights of front-line workers. Read more here.
“Written in the Bill 195, the government says the emergency is over, but unfortunately it is not over for the health-care, social services, waste-water and other workers whose collective agreement rights have been suspended,” Micheal Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said during a news…
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on Ontario, the province’s finance minister said Wednesday, as he announced the government has nearly doubled its deficit projection to $38.5 billion in just three months. … We need more investment and support to help Ontario continue to manage and to rebound out of this crisis,”…
An expert panel appointed by Ontario’s Conservative government is echoing what advocates have long called for: Increased staffing in long-term care homes to provide a minimum average of four-hours of care a day for residents. The long-awaited long-term care staffing study underscores that more funding will be needed to achieve the goal. One estimate from…
Premier Doug Ford’s government should “urgently” hire new nurses and front-line workers to give long-term-care residents the four hours of daily care they need, a long-awaited staffing report says. Staffing is critical to creating a higher quality of life and care for residents,” the Long-Term Care Staffing Study Report concluded. It was released on Thursday…
Laura Walton, who heads CUPE’s school bargaining unit, said the amount the union recommends is a 2.1 per cent increase in education spending for the upcoming school year, and is the minimum needed. It is based on lessons learned from CUPE workers in other sectors who have continued working during the pandemic, she added. “We…
Droves of hospital workers gathered outside the Cornwall Community Hospital protesting, what they believe is, a violation of their workplace rights. They were concerned about Bill 195, which is being considered in the legislature. The Canadian Union of Public Employees states the bill would lay workers off, force shift changes with no notice and move…
The secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Ontario) said surgical masks are now widely available in long-term care homes, but superior N95s are not. “The N95 still are almost impossible to get based on the feedback that we’ve been getting, they continue to remain under lock and key,” Candace Rennick said. The union,…
Members of CUPE Local 1623, representing various local hospital workers, take part in a rally on Paris Street near the entrance to Health Sciences North in Sudbury, Ont. on Friday July 17, 2020. The protest was part of province-wide rallies held to put pressure on the Ontario government to “restore basic workplace rights suspended for…
