Shuniah, ON – Shuniah firefighters with CUPE 87 have ratified their first collective agreement, achieving landmark gains for themselves and setting a new standard for volunteer firefighters in Ontario.
The agreement establishes a standardized wage grid that replaces the common practice of volunteer firefighters being compensated through a communal pool of funds, a system that means individual earnings fluctuate month to month depending on how many firefighters work.
For Shuniah’s 22 firefighters and 5 fire prevention officers, the agreement delivers fairer, more predictable pay. For Ontario’s roughly 20,000 volunteer firefighters, it demonstrates that a different model is possible.
“Volunteer firefighters are highly trained professionals. We study for our qualifications, train regularly, and risk our lives responding to emergencies,” said Don Murray, who was a leading force in the Shuniah firefighter campaign and has been a firefighter for more than 50 years. “This agreement recognizes that our work has value and that firefighters deserve to know what we will be paid when we show up to work to answer emergency calls.”
Shuniah’s firefighters organized to join CUPE after raising concerns about safety, working conditions, and a lack of recognition for the increasingly complex work they perform. They then spent more than 16 months bargaining a first agreement that recognizes the realities of modern firefighting.
“Many volunteer firefighters have fulltime jobs or are retired after decades of service but they still answer no matter when emergency calls in,” said Lisa Steenerson, the CUPE National Representative who helped them achieve their collective agreement. “Rural communities depend on these firefighters, and they deserve the resources they need to do their jobs safely.
Volunteer firefighters today perform the same core emergency response duties as full-time firefighters and, as of July 1, will be forced to meet the same provincial certification requirements.
“You can’t ask a certain class of firefighters to do the same work and hold the same certifications as full-time professional firefighters but accept less money and less respect,” said Yolanda McClean, CUPE Ontario President. “This agreement treats volunteer firefighting as the skilled profession it is. I’m proud these workers joined our union to fight for what they are owed and my message to all volunteer firefighters is that CUPE can help you move beyond the outdated idea that you can be paid with whatever money is lying around.”
The agreement will help stabilize the Shuniah fire department at a time when rural and northern departments are struggling. It can also have implications for volunteer firefighters across Ontario. While some of the province’s 195 volunteer services have adopted hourly wages, most still rely on compensation systems that leave firefighters uncertain about their earnings.
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For more information, please contact:
Jesse Mintz, CUPE Communications Representative 416-704-9642 | [email protected]
