IN THIS ISSUE . . .E4From ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

E5From ONA First Vice-President

Vicki McKenna, RN

Vol. 14 • No. 1MARCH 2014

’s aggressive public campaign calling for an end to nursing cuts to ensure the best possible care for our patients has officially launched, and its success de-

pends largely on the involvement of our front-line members.On February 10, 2014, ONA unveiled our More Nurses-themed campaign, which fea-

tures television and subway ads and a “microsite” (website) chalked full of information and tips on how you and our supporters can help fight for an appropriate number of registered nurses in our system.

The television ad also began airing on February 10 and features several ONA members in a number of scenarios showing that Ontarians can’t predict when they will need a nurse. That was followed closely by a similarly-themed transit ad, promi-

The Members’ Publication of the Ontario Nurses’ Association

continues on page 3

ONA

Who better than ONA front-line members to warn about the dire consequences of continu-

ing down the path of eliminating RN positions in our province? In our clever new television

and transit ads, ONA members Marcia Robinson (pictured), along with Cindy Orlicki, Roland

Orlicki, Cathryn Hoy, Eve Edwards and Sabrina (Xiaoxia) Wu, explain what more nurses

means to them.

INDEXUp Front ......................................................... 3Member News ............................................. 6ONA News ...................................................11Queen’s Park Update ...............................15OHC ...............................................................15Occupational Health & Safety ..............16Pensions .......................................................17Student Affiliation ....................................18Education ....................................................19Human Rights and Equity .....................20Awards and Decisions .............................22

ONTARIO NURSES’ ASSOCIATION85 Grenville St., Ste. 400Toronto ON M5S 3A2

Turn the page for an IMPORTANT LETTER from Your ONA President

ONA Campaign Calls for More Nurses Now!

MARCH 20142 www.ona.org

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

President, VM #2254 Communications & Government

Relations / Student Liaison

Vicki McKenna, RN

First VP, VM #2314Political Action & Professional Issues

Pam Mancuso, RN

VP Region 1, VM #7710Human Rights & Equity

Anne Clark, RN

VP Region 2, VM #7758Labour Relations

Andy Summers, RN

VP Region 3, VM #7754Occupational Health & Safety

Dianne Leclair, RN

VP Region 4, VM #7752Local Finance

Karen Bertrand, RN

VP Region 5, VM #7702Education

Michael Balagus

Chief Executive Officer / Chief Administrative Officer

How to contact your 2014 ONA Board of Directors

Call ONA toll-free at 1-800-387-5580 (press 0)

or (416) 964-8833 in Toronto and follow the

operator’s prompts to access board members’

voice-mail. Voice-mail numbers (VM) for Board

members in the Toronto office are listed below.

ONA Provincial Office

85 Grenville St., Ste. 400

Toronto ON M5S 3A2

Tel: (416) 964-8833

Toll free: 1-800-387-5580

Fax: (416) 964-8864

E-mail: onamail@ona.org

ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied

health professionals and more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates

providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the

community, clinics and industry.

www.ona.org

Design: Artifact graphic design (artifactworks.ca)

Printed by union labour: Thistle Printing Limited

Copyright © 2014 Ontario Nurses’ Association

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic,

mechanical, photocopy, recording, or by any information storage or

retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher

(ONA members are excepted).

Editor: Ruth Featherstone

Features Editor: Melanie Levenson

Send submissions to:

Communications and Government Relations

Intake at cgrintake@ona.org.

Contributors: Karen Bertrand, Sheree Bond,

Mary Lou King, Enid Mitchell, Stacey Papernick,

Simran Prihar, Katherine Russo, Tricia Sadoway,

Lawrence Walter

EHamilton 2 King St., W., 2nd Floor Rear Dundas, ON L9H 6Z1 Tel: (905) 628-0850 Fax: (905) 628-2557EKingston 4 Cataraqui St., Ste. 201 Kingston, ON K7K 1Z7 Tel: (613) 545-1110 Fax: (613) 531-9043ELondon 1069 Wellington Rd. South,

Ste. 109 London, ON N6E 2H6 Tel: (519) 438-2153 Fax: (519) 433-2050

EOrillia 210 Memorial Ave., Unit 126A Orillia, ON L3V 7V1 Tel: (705) 327-0404 Fax: (705) 327-0511EOttawa 1400 Clyde Ave., Ste. 211 Nepean, ON K2G 3J2 Tel: (613) 226-3733 Fax: (613) 723-0947ESudbury 764 Notre Dame Ave., Unit 3 Sudbury, ON P3A 2T4 Tel: (705) 560-2610 Fax: (705) 560-1411

EThunder Bay #300, Woodgate Centre,

1139 Alloy Dr. Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6M8 Tel: (807) 344-9115 Fax: (807) 344-8850ETimmins Canadian Mental Health

Association Building 330 Second Ave, Ste. 203 Timmins, ON P4N 8A4 Tel: (705) 264-2294 Fax: (705) 268-4355EWindsor 3155 Howard Ave., Ste. 220 Windsor, ON N8X 3Y9

Tel: (519) 966-6350 Fax: (519) 972-0814

ONA Regional Offices

The Members’ Publication of the Ontario Nurses’ Association

Vol. 14 • No. 1MARCH 2014

ISSN: 0834-9088

www.Facebook.com/OntarioNurses

www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

www.youtube.com/OntarioNurses

Front Lines can be accessed

on our website at

www.ona.org/frontlines

UP Front

MARCH 2014 3www.ona.org

continues from cover ONA Campaign Calls for More Nursesnently placed at the Queen’s Park subway station in downtown Toronto for maximum viewing by those who work in government and make decisions for our province.

The Current SituationWith the elimination of RN positions a reg-ular occurrence throughout Ontario, and a provincial election a strong possibly for late spring, the time was ripe to launch our most ambitious campaign to date.

The statistics driving our campaign are sobering. Since 2012, the Ontario govern-ment has cut almost 1,400 nursing posi-tions and there are currently 800 fewer full-time RNs, giving our province the unfortu-nate distinction of having the second lowest nurse-to-patient ratio in the country. Just to catch up we would need to hire 17,500 additional nurses. Add to that the fact that in 2013 the average age of an RN was 45.5 years, 25 per cent of employed RNs were 55 and 13 per cent over 60, and it’s not hard to see that we have a serious crisis on our hand.

“To say that unsafe registered nurse staff-ing levels are stretching nursing care too thin

PARTICIPATE IN THE ONLINE CONVERSATION

New Website Speaks to our Core Message: More Nurses!ONA’s campaign to inform Ontarians that more registered nurses are

needed in our health care system is making a virtual impact of its own.

Launched last month, our www.morenurses.ca website provides

visitors many – and simple – opportunities to show support to nurses

across Ontario.

Boasting a colourful and engaging design, the site houses several

interactive sections:

• A robust activity centre that includes videos and photos that en-

sures ONA’s key message is heard loud and clear: Ontario needs

more nurses. Web visitors can submit videos and images that

speak to this important issue. Tell us about your nursing story us-

ing video or photos:

- Why did you become a nurse?

- What are your challenges in your day-to-day worklife?

- How can it be better?

and putting our patients at risk is a gross un-derstatement,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “But it doesn’t have to be this way. If our system was staffed with the appropriate number of nurses, it would re-sult in more nursing care for each patient, shorter wait times, fewer complications and lower death rates for patients, saving the health care system significant money. Instead of cutting nurses, we need to train and hire more so we can provide the high-est-quality care for everyone.”

Tim Hudak’s Anti-Nurse, Anti-Union Plan To make matters worse, we are also faced with the real threat of a Tim Hudak-led Conserva-tive government, which will privatize health care services even more, bringing in an Amer-ican-style two-tiered health care system. The rich will get the best care, and the rest of us? Well, we will get whatever is left over.

“If that isn’t a frightening enough pros-pect, Mr. Hudak will also cut our pensions, increase workload and impose a two-year wage freeze” added Haslam-Stroud. “Attack-ing nurses may drive them out of nursing in

Submission instructions are available at www.morenurses.ca. Cap-

ture one of the nursing themes above or create your own and send it

to us – it may be featured on the website.

• Notes to Nurses. Visitors can send personal notes of encourage-

ment to front-line nurses. It’s nurses’ own personal e-bulletin board!

• Take a small step in political action: Users are encouraged to send

an email to a local MPP to tell him/her to hire more nurses –

enough with the RN cuts!

• Download our graphics. Through your personal social media ac-

counts, share our photos and graphics with your followers and

tell them that RN cuts are a no-no.

Be sure to participate in the discussion: Ontario Needs More Nurses!

Visit the www.morenurses.ca website often as information is up-

dated regularly.

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud launches

our More Nurses campaign at Ryerson Univer-

sity on February 10, 2014.

the province and discourage young people from choosing this profession altogether.”

How You Can HelpOur future could look very different – and that’s where you come in. Our campaign is a starting point to get our members mobi-lized in this fight, and we have made it very easy to do. From sending a templated letter to your MPP to photographing yourself with one of our More Nurses signs to spreading the message to the people in your life, log on to www.morenurses.ca to learn what you can do (see story below) or ask your Local leader for one of our campaign pamphlets. Every little bit helps.

MARCH 20144 www.ona.org

From ONA President

Chronique de la présidente, AIIO

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

More Registered Nurses Now!

There likely isn’t an ONA member in the province who is un-aware of the challenges to patient care created by unrelenting RN cuts.

While your union has been out there decrying the watering down of nursing care that is the result of multiple years of hos-pital underfunding, including two fiscal years of zero base fund-ing increases, the cuts have continued. This month, ONA is saying enough!

As you can see from our cover, on February 10, ONA launched a very ambitious, public campaign to call for an end to nursing cuts – and for more nurses for Ontario. As ONA has always emphasized, you – our front-line members and the face of health care to Ontar-ians – have a vital role to play in making this campaign go far.

There is no question that the quality of care is suffering as em-ployers cut the front lines to balance the bottom line. As nurses

are the face of care, I am asking everyone to support the campaign, to talk to your colleagues, friends, neighbours and families about the link between RN staffing levels and positive patient health outcomes, and about the savings the system

would enjoy if we could provide the best-quality care to patients that comes with safe staffing levels.

As the cuts have continued, Ontario has had the dubious hon-our of having the second-worst RN-to-population ratio in the en-tire country. Not only are we as nurses suffering from more illness and injury due to stress and burnout, our patients are suffering. This is simply unacceptable.

As your More Nurses campaign continues, I ask that you please consider supporting it locally. ONA is here to help!

We need more nurses now. Please join in advocating for safer, high-quality patient care.

Please join in advocating for safer, high-quality patient care.

Plus d’infirmières et infirmiers autorisés dès maintenant!

Tous les membres de l’AIIO sont probablement bien conscients des défis posés par les incessantes suppressions de postes d’infirmières et d’infirmiers autorisés en ce qui a trait aux

soins des patients.Les coupes se poursuivent, bien que votre syndicat ait dénoncé

haut et fort l’affaiblissement des soins infirmiers résultant de nom-breuses années marquées par le sous-financement des hôpitaux, dont deux exercices financiers sans aucune hausse du financement de base. Ce mois-ci, l’AIIO dit que c’est assez!

Comme vous pouvez le constater sur la page couverture de notre publication, le 4 février, l’AIIO a lancé une campagne publique très ambitieuse pour réclamer la fin des abolitions de postes et exiger que l’Ontario se dote d’un plus grand nombre d’infirmières et d’infirmiers.

Il ne fait aucun doute que la qualité des soins souffre des coupes que les employeurs font subir aux employés de première ligne afin d’équilibrer leur bilan financier. Puisque c’est vous qui incarnez la réalité des soins de santé, je demande à chacune et à chacun d’entre vous de soutenir la campagne et de discuter avec vos collègues, vos amis, vos voisins et vos proches du lien qui existe entre le nombre d’IA et les résultats de santé des patients, ainsi que des économies qui pourraient être réalisées dans le système si nous pouvions of-frir aux patients les soins de qualité optimale associés à des niveaux de dotation adéquats.

C’est une véritable honte pour nous qui sommes les porte-pa-role des patients. Nous, les infirmières, subissons plus de blessures et de maladies liées au stress et à l’épuisement professionnel, et nos patients souffrent également. C’est tout simplement inacceptable.

Notre campagne Plus d’infirmières se poursuit, et je vous de-mande de penser au soutien que vous pouvez y apporter à l’échelle locale. L’AIIO est là pour aider.

Nous avons besoin de plus d’infirmières et d’infirmiers dès maintenant. S’il vous plaît, joignez-vous à notre campagne pour réclamer que les patients bénéficient sans tarder d’une prestation de soins de santé plus sécuritaire et de qualité.

MARCH 2014 5www.ona.org

From ONA First Vice-President

Chronique de la première vice-présidente, AIIO

Vicki McKenna, RN

We Must all do our Part to Improve Health Care

While the annual action plan of the Ontario Health Coali-tion (OHC) is always something we encourage our mem-bers to help bring to life, with an impending provincial

election and the Tim Hudak-led Tories bent on privatizing our health care system, it is even more crucial that we all do our part.

The action plan, a blueprint of the campaigns the OHC and its members, including ONA, will embark on this year, was designed in part by our members and staff during the OHC’s Health Action As-sembly this past November and issues dozens of recommendations under eight broad categories.

Not surprisingly, the action plan focuses heavily on the pros-pect of a May provincial election, with plans for a public campaign that will build support for improved funding for health care ser-vices, provide a party platform comparison and educate the public on their choices. You can be sure ONA will be piggybacking this

campaign in conjunction with our own.

Other actions for this year in-clude: conducting a media tour across Ontario to bring attention to inadequate care levels for long-

term care residents; calling for a public inquiry into violations of the Canada Health Act by private clinics; conducting a door-to-door campaign to stop the dismantling of community hospitals; promoting progressive reform in home care; and supporting the national campaign to win a renegotiated Health Accord with stable funding and national standards.

I am imploring each and every one of you to support the action plan in any way you can, including joining the activities of your own local health coalitions. In today’s fragile political climate, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the very future of our profession, our health care system, the care we provide to our pa-tients/clients/residents and our union is at stake.

I am imploring you to support the OHC’s action plan.

Nous devons tous contribuer à améliorer les soins de santé

Nous encourageons toujours nos membres à contribuer à la réalisation du plan d’action annuel de l’Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), mais devant l’imminence d’une élection

provinciale et la détermination des conservateurs de Tim Hudak à privatiser encore plus les services de soins de santé, notre partici-pation collective est encore plus importante.

Ce plan d’action fournit l’orientation des campagnes que l’OHC et ses membres, y compris l’AIIO, entreprendront cette an-née. Conçu en partie par nos membres et notre personnel lors de l’Assemblée pour une action en santé en novembre dernier, il con-tient des dizaines de recommandations réparties dans huit grandes catégories.

Sans surprise, le plan d’action met beaucoup l’accent sur la per-spective d’une élection provinciale. Vous pouvez être assurés que l’AIIO soutiendra cette campagne conjointement à la sienne.

Voici d’autres activités au programme pour cette année : nous organiserons une tournée médiatique dans l’ensemble de l’Ontario avec une chaise berçante géante afin d’attirer l’attention sur le niveau inadéquat des soins offerts aux résidents des établissements de soins de longue durée; nous réclamerons une enquête publique sur les infractions à la Loi canadienne sur la santé par les cliniques privées; nous effectuerons une campagne de porte-à-porte pour mettre fin aux fermetures d’hôpitaux communautaires; nous fer-ons la promotion d’une réforme progressive des soins à domicile; et nous soutiendrons la campagne nationale visant l’obtention d’un accord renégocié sur les soins de santé prévoyant un financement stable et des normes nationales.

J’encourage fortement chacune et chacun d’entre vous à soute-nir le plan d’action dans la mesure de vos moyens, notamment en participant aux activités organisées par votre coalition de santé locale. Vu le climat politique précaire qui prévaut actuellement, je ne crois pas exagéré d’affirmer que c’est l’avenir même de notre profession, de notre système de soins de santé, des soins que nous fournissons à nos patients/clients/résidents et de notre syndicat qui est en jeu.

ONA Members Across Ontario

MARCH 20146 www.ona.org

After repeatedly trying to find solutions with

Rouge Valley Health System, registered nurs-

es in the hospital’s post-acute care unit have

called for an Independent Assessment Com-

mittee to review their continuing profession-

al practice and workload concerns.

At issue is that half the RN and RPN po-

sitions in the unit have been replaced with

unregulated care providers, leaving nurse-

to-patient ratios unsafe, unmanageable and

dangerous for patients. The RNs have con-

sistently provided written documentation

to hospital administrators outlining their in-

ability to properly and safely provide patient

care, but the hospital has refused to staff the

department with an appropriate number of

RNs.

“While the patients are post-acute care,

they have complex medical issues with mul-

tiple health conditions that require the broad

scope of practice, skills, knowledge and ex-

perience that RNs bring to the table,” said

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “Unfor-

tunately, I suspect that balancing the budget

has taken priority over that.”

The IAC, a panel of three nursing experts,

conducted a hearing into the post-acute

care unit on January 7-8, 2014 to determine

whether nurses are being assigned more

work than is consistent with the provision of

proper patient care. Their recommendations

are expected to be released at any time, and

Front Lines will report on them in the next is-

sue.

“While an IAC is always a last resort, we

commend our nurses for coming forward

with these serious issues,” added Haslam-

Stroud. “We look forward to seeing the rec-

ommendations of the IAC panel and to work-

ing with the hospital to ensure that our pa-

tients receive the quality professional nurs-

ing care they so deserve to ensure positive

health outcomes.”

Post-Acute Patients Need RN Skills, Rouge Valley IAC Hears

And the Winner of the iPad Mini is....Kristen Corbett from the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance!

Corbett submitted an update to her ONA contact informa-

tion, as requested in the October issue of Front Lines, and was

automatically entered in the Update Your Info contest. More

than 1,000 members submitted changes.

Thanks to all who provided ONA with contact updates.

If you still need to forward ONA this important information,

please do so online at www.ona.org/update.

Nurses from the post-acute care unit of Rouge Valley Health System get together with

leaders and staff on January 9, 2014 following the Independent Assessment Commit-

tee hearing into their workload concerns. Pictured are (back row, left to right): Region

3 Vice-President Andy Summers, Local 24 Coordinator Dianne Brunton, RNs Sue Pe-

schke, Marlene Badgley, Mary Deli and Connie Ortiz. Front row (left to right): Profes-

sional Practice Specialist Meni Didimos-Bryant, Bargaining Unit President Carol

Oates, Labour Relations Officer Andrea Kay, Professional Practice Specialist Jo Anne

Shannon, RNs Brenda Barnes and Anne Richardson, and Chris Axtell, the Professional

Responsibility/Labour Relations Advisor for the United Nurses of Alberta, who offered

his assistance and showed support to the IAC process.

MARCH 2014 7www.ona.org

Employer Implements Changes to Medical Unit and Beyond Thanks to ONA PRC A significant Professional Responsibility Complaint (PRC) settlement at Windsor’s Ho-

tel-Dieu Grace Hospital has resulted in improvements not only to the unit in question,

but the entire facility.

In March 2010, practice and workload concerns of RNs on the hospital’s medical

unit – including inadequate base and relief staff, resulting in unfilled shifts on the

posted schedule, inability to replace sick calls, inadequate evening and night shift

staffing, insufficient staff to travel to other units to implement dialysis, and pharmacy

and medication administration issues – escalated and were documented on ONA pro-

fessional responsibility workload complaint forms.

Keen to reach a resolution, management, including the Vice-President and Chief

Nursing Executive, and at times the CEO, began meeting with ONA in 2011 and con-

tinued to do so over the next two-plus years, finally culminating in the signing of a

Minutes of Settlement last October.

The resolutions of the settlement, which is binding, resulted in positive changes,

not only on the medical unit but throughout the entire facility. They include:

• Improvements in staffing on the unit, including an additional RN added to the

evening shift and an RPN added to the night shift seven days a week.

• Alleviation of non-nursing duties, including the creation of a hospital-wide por-

tering team, increased clerical support, an expansion of staffing office hours to

eliminate the need for RNs to spend time calling replacement staff, and increased

pharmacy support, including the removal of the pharmacist responsibilities that

had been downloaded to RNs.

• Improved orientation/mentorship and training/in-service to new and existing RNs,

and tools to help determine the appropriate category of care provider.

• There is a new level of respect for the PRC process and increased input of and re-

spect for front-line RNs in decision making affecting their practice.

“Workload is the number one issue of our members, but this settlement proves that

ONA is helping make positive changes to your working lives,” said ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud. “It’s also a huge win for our members’ colleagues throughout

the hospital and, most importantly, their patients, who will reap the benefits of their

tenacity. And it was achieved without the use of an Independent Assessment Com-

mittee. We look forward to continuing to work with the employer on these significant

improvements.”

ONA Celebrates Black History Month

ONA joined with our friends and allies throughout North America in celebrat-

ing Black History Month this past February.

Black History Month is an opportunity to share the historical and current

contributions of African Canadians and African Americans in areas such as medi-

cine, public service, education, art, culture, economic development, politics and

human rights.

ONA members have shown true leadership and a

commitment to the success of the recent merger

of two Locals in Region 5.

The transfer of services between Windsor Re-

gional Hospital and Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital re-

sulted in a significant shift of members between

the two facilities. These hospitals represented the

core of membership in two different Locals, and

the shift meant a merger of the Locals would need

to take place.

To the credit of the senior leadership of both

Locals, the merger was anticipated and some very

early meetings took place to compare polices, fi-

nancial priorities and overall function. There were

differences, but both teams placed a membership

filter to every decision.

“Absolutely, there were compromises, but in

the end the team developed a draft template of

policies and financial priorities that supported all

the Bargaining Units and the members that they

service,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

Elections were held for the new Local execu-

tive, members were engaged and it was an ex-

citing day, with more than 450 ballots cast. Con-

gratulations to Susan Sommerdyk, who was the

successful candidate for Local Coordinator of the

“new” Local 8, and is the Bargaining Unit Presi-

dent for Windsor Regional Hospital, and Jo-Dee

Brown, the Bargaining Unit President for Hotel-

Dieu Grace.

“The entire leadership team at both the Bar-

gaining Unit and Local level are committed to the

success of this merger,” added Haslam-Stroud. “I

want to thank all of them for their leadership dur-

ing this process.”

Windsor Locals Show True Leadership

during Merger

THE NEW LOCAL 8

ONA Members Across Ontario

MARCH 20148 www.ona.org

Time to Get Ready for Nursing Week!Nursing Week 2014 is just a few weeks away and we

urge you to start planning activities to acknowl-

edge and celebrate your important profession.

Nursing Week recognizes the year-round dedi-

cation and achievements of RNs, RPNs and nurse

practitioners and increases awareness of their con-

tributions to the well-being of Canadians. This year,

Nursing Week will be held from May 12-18, building

on the messages from our More Nurses campaign.

As usual, we will be offering Nursing Week post-

ers, buttons, small tokens of our appreciation for

your dedication all year round and other special

surprises. Members of the Board of Directors will

also be making site visits across the province to cel-

ebrate with members firsthand and discuss your

current realities.

It is important that you take this opportunity to

honour and celebrate the achievements of Ontar-

io’s nurses and your critical role in our health care

system. Involve your colleagues and employer,

community, nursing students and local elected of-

ficials too. A modified version of our Nursing Week

Planning Guide, which is chalked full of tools and

tips to help plan a successful event, can be found

on our website at www.ona.org, under the “Nursing

Week” tab. (Local leaders can find the full version

containing order forms, on the Local Executive sec-

tion of our website.)

And don’t forget that when the week is over to

please send Front Lines your stories and photos for

a Nursing Week spread. Submissions can be e-

mailed to Communications and Government Rela-

tions Intake at cgrintake@ona.org.

When Beds Closed During Summer Never Reopen…ONA members from across Eastern Ontario, including (left to right) Ju-

lie Nyswander and Kristen Penney from Pembroke Regional Hospital

and Bargaining Unit President Blaine Davidson and Ashley Miller from

Arnprior Regional Health join other hospital staff represented by the

Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Ontario Public Service

Employees Union at the Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital on De-

cember 10, 2013 to lobby for the reopening of six acute care beds,

closed since last June. The unions report that the hospital went from

destaffing six beds indefinitely, to claiming it was only four beds and

that they are trying to send patients home faster. Now, the hospital is

telling nursing staff that the beds are open, but they are yet to be prop-

erly staffed while patients are held in the ER. “The hospital has gone

from 30 beds to 24, which we feel will lead to the eventual closing and

loss of funding for those beds and the subsequent loss of RN positions,”

said Davidson, who also spoke at the rally.

ONA is the midst of bargaining with the Ontario Hospital Association for a renewed

contract for our members in the hospital sector. Negotiations for a new central nurs-

ing homes collective agreement will begin in the next few months as well. Be sure

and check out all the latest bargaining news on our website at www.ona.org/bargaining.

Bargaining Updates

MARCH 2014 9www.ona.org

Members Support Striking PSWs

When ONA members learned that personal

support workers (PSWs) were commencing a

strike with Red Cross Care Partners, the lar-

gest home care agency in Ontario, they were

quick to jump in and offer support.

About 4,500 PSWs across the province,

members of the Service Employees Inter-

national Union (SEIU), went on strike on De-

cember 11, 2013 after voting to reject the

employer’s latest offer over the key issues

of wages (PSWs make between $12.50 and

$15.02 an hour, don’t receive paid sick days

or have pensions, and the majority don’t re-

ceive benefits) and travelling costs for home

visits. This largely female workforce all too

often works and lives in poverty doing heavy

lifting, vital health promotion and preven-

tion functions and daily hands-on care for

tens of thousands of Ontarians.

ONA’s provincial office immediately sent

out a communications to our Local lead-

ers and staff to join mass rallies being held

throughout the province on the day the

strike commenced – and many of you an-

swered our call, joining your fellow health

care workers in communities such as Sault

Ste. Marie (left picture) and Thunder Bay.

Provincially, members of the ONA Board

of Directors, including President Linda

Haslam-Stroud, marched in solidarity with

PSWs from City Hall to Queen’s Park to call

on the Ontario government to ensure home

care dollars are spent on front-line care, rath-

er than company profits and excessive execu-

tive salaries (right photo). We also handed out

gift cards to help the picketers who were

without pay during the holidays (see pg. 13).

As ONA’s Orillia office is located in the

same plaza as the Simcoe Muskoka Local

Health Integration Network, staff opened the

doors to the picketers, providing warmth,

coffee and bathroom facilities, and report

they were extremely appreciative.

On Christmas Eve, the PSWs returned to

work after agreeing to allow a provincially

appointed arbitrator to assist in negotiating.

The new contract was issued on January 8,

2014.

Happy Social Work Week!ONA extends a very happy National Social Work (SW) Week to our SW members throughout Ontario.

Much like Nursing Week, SW Week, held this year from March 3-9, is set aside to laud the role and

contributions of these highly skilled professionals, who enhance health care by helping people of all

ages, backgrounds and income levels participate more fully in relationships, work, and home and com-

munity life. They also address complex social problems, such as the multiple impact of poverty, the

lack of adequate housing and barriers imposed by discrimination. The theme for this year’s SW Week is

Social Workers: Champions of Positive Change, meant to highlight that social workers support positive

change, rooted in practical problem-solving, which has the potential to improve the lives of individuals

and society as a whole.

ONA is proud of our SW members, who work in many sectors and are a component of our allied

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ONA Members Across Ontario

MARCH 201410 www.ona.org

Public Health RN Pens Inspiring PoemAn ONA public health nurse has written a power-

ful poem about what it truly means to be a nurse

– regardless of whether you have a degree.

Stephanie Vrkljan (pictured), who works at

the Durham Region Public Health Unit, wrote the

poem during Nursing Week 2013 “to remind us

to tell each other that we are valued and appreci-

ated for our work and who we are.”

A graduate of a college nursing program in

1988, Vrkljan said she feels her worth has been

lost and that her experience is not taken into

consideration because she doesn’t have a de-

gree. While she has taken courses to obtain her

BScN, with four kids, two of whom are in post-

secondary education, money for tuition is spent

on them first.

I am a NurseWith my hands I heal.

With my heart I love and care.

With my eyes I assess.

With my mind I learn.

With my soul I feel.

With my very being I forgive.

With my life I sacrifice.

With these 25 years came dedication.

With my mentors came inspiration.

With my experience I share.

With my smile I encourage.

With my words comes value.

With my deeds comes the truth.

With all this I will continue forward.

I serve my clients.

I serve my community.

I am an example to my children.

I am a provider for my family.

I am needed and loved.

I will stand through the biggest storms.

I will do what is right not what is easy.

I will mentor others.

I will grow everyday in knowing.

I have always done my best.

— Stephanie Vrkljan

Heading to the Hill!ONA Local and provincial leaders, including Region 2 Vice-

President Anne Clark (in red, left photo), and Local 83

Coordinator Frances Smith and Region 1 Vice-President

Pam Mancuso (right photo) take the opportunity of Lobby

Day 2013, held on Parliament Hill on December 3, to discuss

the Harper government’s refusal to renew the Health

Accord and cuts to federal funding support for health care,

the need for a continuing care program for seniors and

those with chronic illness and a national Pharmacare

program with federal politicians, including Paul Dewar, MP

for Ottawa Centre and Bryan Hayes, MP for Sault Ste. Marie.

To prepare participants, a briefing was held the day before,

along with a Seniors Health Care Plan for Canada National

Conference. Both events were organized by the Ontario

and Canadian Health Coalitions.

Local 73 Coordinator Donna Wheal (far right) and First Vice-Coordinator

Myra Pyhtila (far left) accompany Region 1 Vice-President Pam Mancuso (in

white jacket) as she conducts a site visit of Thunder Bay Regional Health

Sciences Centre on September 10, 2013. Site visits allow the Board of Direc-

tors to tour ONA members’ places of employment and see and learn about

your working experiences and realities firsthand. Also pictured are medical

nurses Matt Shonosky, Lise Lozier, Katie Nyburg, Andrea Kromm, Carra

Morriseau and Jill Kuzmich.

“I value education,

I value knowledge. I re-

spect the work it takes to

get a degree. I respect the

process,” she said. “Saying

all this, I feel that experi-

ence should also be considered as valid higher-

level education. We are slowly going down in

numbers with retirement and career changes,

but I have another 10 years of nursing or more in

me and I want to be acknowledged for my ability.

“I hope this poem makes all RNs remember

where they came from, what they have been

through and to see their value. The years and the

pain, heartache and trauma we have endured to

be who we are should be enough.”

Northern Reflections

ONA News

MARCH 2014 11www.ona.org

DECEMBER BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

The following are key highlights from the Board of Direc-

tors meeting, held December 9-12, 2013 at the ONA prov-

incial office:

A Supplementary-funded Locals that have obtained

pre-approval from the Vice-President of Local Finance

will be supported to a maximum of $1,000 annually

for the use of an ONA-designated teleconference line.

A A contribution of $35,000 will be given to the Ontario

Health Coalition for sponsorship, the special election

campaign and other campaigns. A sustaining spon-

sorship was also provided to the Canadian Health Co-

alition for $5,000 for the 2014 fiscal year.

A Up to $5,000 will be allocated from the Human Rights

budget to the 2014 World Pride event in Toronto this

June (for more on World Pride, see pg. 20).

A The $15,000 leadership monies from Johnson Inc., the

provider of the ONA benefits plan, will be used to sup-

port ONA’s Novice Leadership Conference in June.

The following Board meeting was held at the ONA provin-

cial office on February 10-13, 2014, just as Front Lines went

to press, and highlights will appear in the next issue.

Class Action for CCAC Members SettledThe class action for community care access centre (CCAC) members is now

complete and the proceeds are being distributed.

The CCAC class action was initiated by ONA Region 4 Vice-President Dianne

Leclair and Susan McSheffery of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union

(OPSEU) for those who were members of several unions, including ONA and

OPSEU, between 1996-1998 and worked as employees for municipalities or

other employers providing home care services and were then transferred to a

CCAC between 1996 and 1998, thereby continuing their employment without

interruption and, consequently, have been a member of the Healthcare of On-

tario Pension Plan (HOOPP).

The settlement, mediated by former Judge George Adams, provides the class

action members with $6.5 million dollars, plus interest. After the application pro-

cess was completed, this amounts to $5,553.71 per applicant.

“Class actions are very legalistic and subject to very strict rules from the

courts,” noted ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “This included how, what

and when information could be communicated to class members, as well as the

application process itself. While this has been an extremely long and arduous

journey, we thank you for your patience and determination in seeing it through

to a successful conclusion.”

To learn more about the CCAC class action, visit www.ccacpensionclassaction.com.

There’s the Rich – and then there’s the Rest of UsONA leaders, members and staff were among

the 200 people who braved the brutal cold

on January 20, 2014 to attend the fourth

Rich and the Rest of Us town hall, this time in

Windsor.

Through a panel presentation, open dis-

cussion and story sharing, the town hall re-

layed how the attack on labour rights, the lack

of tax fairness, the lack of an organized strat-

egy to create good jobs with good wages,

and the reduction in public services have all

worked together to make income inequality

worse.

This is particularly meaningful to local resi-

dents as a recent report by Pathway to Pros-

perity, an organizing partner of the town hall,

reveals some alarming statistics about Wind-

sor-Essex: there are 18,500 social assistant re-

Northern Reflections

local food bank in 2011, and more than 35 per

cent of seniors live on less than $20,000 a year.

Strategies to close the ever-growing in-

come gap include creating good jobs, income

supports for low wage workers, accessible and

affordable public services and a more progres-

sive tax system.

The town hall was hosted by the All Togeth-

er Now! coalition of unions campaigning for

public services and tax fairness (ONA, Ontario

Public Service Employees Union, Elementary

Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Ontario Pro-

fessional Fire Fighters Association, Canadian

Media Guild and the Society of Energy Profes-

sionals) and followed similar events in Sudbury,

Kingston and Hamilton over the past year. To

learn more about the campaign, log onto

www.alltogethernow.nupge.ca

cipients, about one in six children live in pov-

erty, almost 230,000 meals were served by the

Local 8 Coordinator Susan Sommerdyk

(left) and Region 5 Vice-President Karen

Bertrand.

ONA News

MARCH 201412 www.ona.org

The Ontario government must end the

underfunding of Ontario hospitals and cuts

to RN positions if patient care needs are to be

met, ONA has told the Standing Committee

on Finance and Economic Affairs in a series

of pre-budget presentations in communities

throughout the province.

During the presentations, ONA provincial

and Local leaders, including ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud and First Vice-President

Vicki McKenna, and staff reiterated that hos-

pitals have failed to keep up with the rate

of inflation during the past four years, RN

staffing levels in many hospitals have put

patients at risk and increasingly, hospitals are

looking to balance budgets by deskilling the

RN workforce, leaving workloads excessive

for nurses and dangerous for patients.

“It’s a shocking little secret that Ontario

has the second-lowest RN-to-population

ratio in the country, with just seven RNs for

every 1,000 residents,” said Haslam-Stroud.

“Polls have shown how important health care

is to Ontarians and it’s vital that we begin re-

ducing the gap that currently exists between

Ontario and the rest of Canada of more than

17,500 RNs.”

Our presentations stressed that there is a

dire need for more RNs to meet the increased

care needs of the complex, unstable patients in

our hospitals while highlighting that patients

with alternate levels of care needs are increas-

ingly being moved to the community sector.

Specifically, ONA is proposing the follow-

ing for priority action in the government’s

2014 budget:

• End underfunding of hospitals, which re-

sults in cuts to RNs and hurts patient care.

• Enforce a strong voice for front-line nurses

related to proposals that impact patient

care in our hospitals. Hospitals must be

directed to comply with the Public Hos-

pitals Act, specifying that every hospital

must put in place a functioning Fiscal

Advisory Committee and must make rec-

ommendations to their boards regarding

operations and staffing in the hospital.

• Fund a plan of action to consolidate a cul-

ture of safety in the health care sector and

healthy work environments directed to

RN staffing to improve nurse-to-patient

ratios. Doing so will reduce the costs to the

health care system of illness and injury of

nurses and reduce the likelihood of patient

readmission.

• Fund a regulated minimum staffing stan-

dard in long-term care homes at an aver-

age level of four worked hours of nursing

and personal care per resident per day (in-

cluding .78 RN hours) to meet increasing

resident care needs.

• Implement a policy of wage parity for home

care nurses to build nurse staffing capacity

in the community sector to address the

complexity of care being delivered.

To read our entire submission, log onto

www.ona.org/submissions.

ONA First Vice-President Vicki McKenna,

supported by Government Relations Of-

ficer Lawrence Walter, presents to the

Standing Committee on Finance and

Economic Affairs at Queen’s Park on

January 16, 2014, urging the govern-

ment to fund a multi-year plan of action

to hire and maintain RN positions in

hospitals to make significant progress

in reducing the RN-to-population ratio

gap in Ontario.

End RN Cuts and Hospital Underfunding, ONA Says Pre-Budget Presentation

The zero per cent for hospital base budgets has to end if patients are to receive the highly-skilled nursing care they need.

MARCH 2014 13www.ona.org

LHINs Must Revamp Accountability Agreements, ONA Submission StatesLocal Health Integration Networks (LHINs) nei-

ther safeguard the professional interests and

practice conditions of nurses, nor protect the

delivery of quality care for patients, ONA says.

Our submission to the Standing Commit-

tee on Social Policy regarding a review of the

Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 lists

our concerns related to the current operation

and practices of LHINs and makes recom-

mendations for improvements in the areas

of accountability and planning, access and

transparency, and quality.

While original government statements

concerning Ontario’s 14 LHINs offered prom-

ise that patients mattered in health care inte-

gration decisions, ONA is concerned the evo-

lution of LHINs has not reflected this commit-

ment. Instead, effective integration is now un-

derstood exclusively in the blunt language of

restructuring, including transforming, merg-

ing and dissolving, which has been more di-

rected to cost-cutting, our submission states.

“We are of the view that LHNs must be re-

vamped to restore a focus on quality patient

care and publicly delivered health care in the

public interest as a key objective,” ONA Presi-

dent Linda Haslam-Stroud told the standing

committee during a presentation in Hamilton

on January 28, 2014. “Our starting point is that

effective integration of health care services is

fundamental of health care reform in the pub-

lic interest.”

Our key recommendations include: that

LHINs develop an RN health human resource

database and implement RN health human

resource planning in concert with health pro-

Spreading Some Much-Needed Cheer

Walking a picket line is never easy, but doing so during the holidays is even tougher.

With that in mind, ONA once again supported Operation Christmas Cheer, which ensures that

every Ontarian on a picket line during the festive time of year receives a traditional turkey dinner,

toys for their children and moral support. Not only did ONA provide a financial contribution to the

program, our members and staff donated gift cards, many at the November Provincial Coordina-

tors Meeting, which we were able to distribute in person.

Region 3 Vice-President Andy Summers (middle, left photo) was flanked by striking United

Steelworkers, who were forced onto the picket lines last September because of unreasonable

demands to cut employee benefits, pension issues and the setting up of a two-tiered wage

system by their employer, Crown Cork and Seal in Toronto.

With the strike of personal support workers employed by Red Cross Care Partners just a week

old (see pg. 9), ONA Director Marie Kelly was pleased to show ONA’s ongoing support by handing

an envelope full of gift cards to a Service Employees International Union representative at our

provincial office in Toronto (middle photo).

Heading to her home town of Hamilton,

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud managed

to put smiles on the faces of members of the

United Steelworkers, who have been on strike

since last July (right photo). Their employer, Max

Aicher, is seeking an hourly wage decrease of

$7 to $11 an hour, a defined contribution pen-

sion plan instead of the current defined benefit

pension plan, cuts to benefits, the elimination

of a cost-of-living increase and a reduction in

severance payments and vacations.

“We know how important it is for our com-

munities that workers withdraw our labour,

when necessary, to make sure there are still

good jobs around for our children’s genera-

tion,” said Haslam-Stroud. “Being able to deliver

some happiness to them on their picket lines at

this time of year brings to mind the true mean-

ing of the holidays.”

viders across Ontario; the inclusion of public

health as health care organizations within the

LHINs’ planning mandate; that hospitals active-

ly consult with and provide a strong voice for

front-line nurses prior to any planned nursing

and clinical service reductions; and wage parity

between institutional and community care.

To read the full submission, log on to

www.ona.org/submissions.

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

ONA News

MARCH 201414 www.ona.org

NEWS IN BRIEFE The Auditor General of Ontario has concluded that improvements

are needed in Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care oversight

and assessment of the effectiveness of its Nursing Strategy. Spe-

cifically, his recommendations include: monitoring nursing em-

ployment trends and assessing the outcome of nursing initia-

tives in transitioning graduating nurses to permanent full-time

employment; assessing the reason for declining participation in

its Nursing Graduate Guarantee and improving the program’s

effectiveness; and monitoring nurse practitioner-led clinics

more closely to ensure they are meeting program requirements

and achieving their patient targets.

E A group of nurses, includ-ing ONA members, and

doctors are urging the

Ontario government to

raise the minimum

wage to $14 from $10.25

an hour, calling poverty

the biggest barrier to

good health. Members of Health Providers Against Poverty said

there is a notable difference in meeting children’s developmen-

tal milestones and for school readiness in communities where

there is more poverty, adding that hiking the minimum wage to

$14 an hour would mean a pre-tax difference of $650 a month.

Statistics Canada data show nine per cent of Ontario’s work-

force, or almost 500,000 people, were working for minimum

wage in 2011, more than double the number from 2003. At

press time, the government announced it will raise the mini-

mum wage to $11 an hour starting June 1, 2014 and will tie fu-

ture increases to the rate of inflation.

E The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) wants the federal govern-

ment to establish a collaborative Aging and Seniors Care Com-

mission of Canada (ASCCC) to promote the health and well-be-

ing of Canadians as they age, enhance chronic disease preven-

tion and management, and increase system capacity around

frailty and vulnerability. The ASCCC would have a 10-year man-

date to develop and implement a strategy on healthy aging in

seniors’ care, including greater support for caregivers, and

would also feature a health innovation fund to advance its im-

plementation and infrastructure, the CNA said.

MARCH 2014 15www.ona.org

QUEEN’S PARK Update

E Ontario is going ahead with a policy of moving procedures out of

hospitals into private clinics, starting with cataract and colonoscopy

procedures. Other procedures will be considered, including dialysis,

out-patient orthopedic, and other specialized services that do not

require overnight stays in a hospital. Health care providers must ap-

ply to provide services under the new model, starting in early 2014.

A new policy guide outlining eligibility criteria and standards for the

new clinics is now available at www.ontario.ca/specialtyclinics. ONA

believes these patient care procedures are most safely provided in

non-profit clinics under the governance of hospitals and should not

be moved to private clinics that are not accountable under the Public

Hospitals Act. Read ONA’s submission at www.ona.org/submissions.

E The Ontario government has announced $26.2 million for the Ni-

agara Health System to plan a new hospital in South Niagara and

two urgent care centres, as proposed by Dr. Kevin Smith’s report on

the future of health care in the Niagara region. These facilities are

intended to replace five existing hospitals in Port Colborne, Fort Erie,

Niagara Falls, Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. 

OHC Honours ONA Members for Local Activism

OHC News

Added Smith, “I am very honoured and certainly recognize that there

are many people in and outside of ONA who work tirelessly to advocate

for Ontarians’ access to quality health care. This award is also proof that

one can be a union activist advocating on behalf of our patients – ade-

quate health care funding has to include adequate staffing to provide the

care at the front lines. Our patients and families deserve this and we as

Ontarians – and Canadians – should expect it.”

The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) has shown its appreciation to

the local lobbying efforts of three of our members by bestowing

them with the prestigious Daniel Benedict Award.

At the OHC’s Health Action Assembly last November, the

award was presented to Region 2 Vice-President Anne Clark (left)

and Local 83 Coordinator Frances Smith, who was unable to at-

tend, for their campaign to stop RN cuts at The Ottawa Hospital,

and Local 111 Coordinator Susan Brickell (right) for her work rally-

ing members and her community against the continuing erosion

of RN positions at The Scarborough Hospital. The winners are sup-

ported here by Government Relations Officer Lawrence Walter,

who attended the Health Action Assembly on behalf of ONA lead-

ership.

Named after the OHC founding member, the award is given

annually to the person or persons who – working with one of the

local health coalitions – best embodies Benedict’s spirit of extraor-

dinary community activism and commitment to the protection

and extension of public Medicare.

“I truly enjoyed working with the Ontario Health Coalition,”

said Brickell. “They are an amazing, energetic and knowledgeable

group of advocates. It was a wonderful experience to be awarded

the Daniel Benedict Award, and I was surprised and honoured to

be put in the same category as all the past recipients.”

MARCH 201416 www.ona.org

• • •

OCCUPATIONAL Health & Safety

Recent statistics from the Public Services

Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) show-

ing the health care sector leads other indus-

tries in workplace injuries and exposures has

ONA questioning why more isn’t being done

by the government to assist our members.

The Grim StatisticsThe statistics reveal that in 2012, the health

care sector led the workforce in illnesses and

injuries related to exposures to contaminants.

Six-hundred-and-twenty four violence-re-

lated injuries resulting in lost time were from

the health care sector, almost twice as many as

11 other industries, including manufacturing,

agriculture, construction, education and elec-

trical, combined. With MSDS (Material Safety

Data Sheets), 3,075 lost-time injuries were

from the health sector, just slightly behind the

services industry and significantly ahead of

manufacturing, transportation, construction

and especially mining, which reported only

88 such injuries for the same period. Health

care also led in exposures, with 941 lost-time

injuries. As well, there were 1,155 lost-time

injuries related to falls in the health care sec-

tor – the third highest rate for all industries in

Ontario. And ONA has reason to believe that

these numbers reflect under-reporting of the

extent of the problems.

“Sadly, these statistics are not surprising

to us; we hear about these reports from our

members on the front lines every day,” said

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

Here are just a few examples:

• At a health unit where workers moved

into a new building, it took more than two

years for management to pay serious at-

tention to their complaints of headaches

and cognitive problems, and finally discov-

er noxious fumes from new carpets gener-

ating volatile organic compounds. Workers

are still fighting for compensation for time

lost from these exposures.

• The Ministry of Labour is prosecuting one

employer after two workers were beaten

and hospitalized by a patient and a third

made ill.

• The injury numbers don’t reflect the human

toll, such as the veteran nurse who injured

her back lifting children and is now perma-

nently disabled from her job. She can’t even

lift her own children.

“Justice Archie Campbell said in his ground-

breaking SARS report that hospitals are as dan-

gerous as mines and factories, yet lack the same

health and safety systems,” added Haslam-

Stroud. “These statistics show that many more

of our members are being hurt on the job than

those who work in mines and factories, which

are generally considered to be more danger-

ous. So, why isn’t more being done?”

The Current ProblemsSpecifically, ONA is questioning several gaps

and initiatives, which we believe have left

health care workers out in the cold:

• The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

(MOHLTC) and senior health care execu-

tives frequently demonstrate ignorance of

occupational health and safety laws and

principles.

• Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspectors are

reluctant to issue meaningful orders and

repeatedly fail to adequately ensure that

health care employers are compliant with

the Occupational Health and Safety Act and

its regulations.

• The MOL rarely prosecutes infractions in

health care, but frequently does so in con-

struction, mining and industry.

• The new MOL Chief Prevention Officer

excluded health care from the Prevention

Council, which advises and makes recom-

mendations to the MOL to improve worker

health and safety in the workplace.

• The focus of the provincial Prevention Of-

fice is on vulnerable workers, small busi-

nesses and high-hazard work, but is not

recognizing health care workers as vulner-

able or the work they do as high hazard,

meaning less prevention attention is di-

rected to the health care industry.

• MOL resources are arranged in three

branches: construction, mining and in-

dustrial. The industrial group only has a

very small group of health care inspectors,

though statistics reflect that it is one of the

most injured groups of workers.

• It appears health and safety sections of the

Criminal Code are not well understood by

enforcement officers and even when con-

sidered, are only being used to prosecute

employers after a fatality occurs.

ONA’s SolutionsGiven the PSHSA statistics, ONA is demanding

that more be done to protect our members

and other health care workers, including:

• That the MOHLTC ensures health and safe-

ty is put into CEOs’ and health administra-

tors’ accountability agreements and they

are trained and attentive to health and

safety laws and principles.

No More Health Workers Injured on the Job, ONA Demands!

ONA is questioning several gaps and initiatives, which we believe have left health care workers out in the cold.

MARCH 2014 17www.ona.org

PENSIONS

Ensuring DB Pension Plans ContinueThe following article was written by Helen

Fletterly, vice-chair of the Healthcare of Ontario

Pension Plan (HOOPP). It first appeared in

Benefits Canada, and Part 1 was published in

the October 2013 issue of Front Lines.

Recently, HOOPP created a two-part white

paper with The Gandalf Group called The Emerging Retirement Crisis. In my first col-

umn based on this data I looked at why the defined benefit (DB) model, of which

HOOPP is one, works.

Some of the key findings in the second part of the white paper relate to the fact

that 64 per cent of Canadians don’t believe Canada has a good workplace pension

system. Seventy-three per cent say that employers aren’t offering sufficient pension

plans.

Yet, continually on the HOOPP Board we hear that DB pension plans are gold-

plated and not sustainable. Nothing could be further from the truth! The average

HOOPP member receives a pension of under $17,000 a year after a long, hard ca-

reer. That’s an adequate pension, but not gold-plated.

Critics of public sector DB pension plans say that they should be replaced by

“cheaper” defined contribution (DC) plans. But with DC plans, there are no guaran-

tees. A lower percentage of earn-

ings, typically 3 per cent to 5 per

cent, is set aside on payday, but

it’s up to the individual member

to decide how to invest it. The member usually gets to choose from a family of

mutual funds. Those funds charge very high fees, up to 2 per cent a year, whether

the investments are up or down. So a DC pension is far less than even the modest

pensions HOOPP and other DB pension plans provide.

That’s why, rather than cutting DB pension plans, we should look at ways to

ensure they can continue to contribute to the well-being of retirees. And we should

look at improving the retirement system for those who lack DB coverage.

[Many groups] see the answer for those without adequate coverage in the ex-

pansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), through small, gradual contribution

increases over time. That would double its modest benefit of $12,000 a year maxi-

mum to more like $24,000.

Ontarians are telling us they are willing to pay more into their employer-spon-

sored pension plans. They aren’t critical of public sector pension plans – in fact, they

would like to see the bar raised for everyone. Seventy-seven per cent of Ontarians

said they would like to be part of a DB plan, and an equal number want to see CPP

expanded.

Rather than discarding the pillars of the system that works, we should look at

those that are not working with an eye to improving them.

For more on pensions, visit www.ona.org and click on the “Pension Updates” tab.

• • •

• That health and safety funding is defined in

every institution’s budget, and every hospital

has dedicated experts in occupational health

and safety whose sole job is to prevent inju-

ries/illnesses.

• More meaningful orders and prosecutions in

health care.

• That MOL resources realign to reflect the

changing demographics of the workforce (in-

creasing numbers of health care workers), and

the areas where injuries/illnesses are most

rampant.

• That the MOHLTC clearly articulate to hospi-

tals and Local Health Integration Networks

(LHINs) the requirement for each LHIN to have

a health and safety champion whose role is to

create safe workplaces free from hazards.

• Health care worker representation on the Pre-

vention Council and a health care focus in the

provincial strategy.

• All enforcement agencies trained to be sensitive

to the real dangers in our workplace, to apply

applicable sections of the Criminal Code to our

workplaces, and to ensure consistent enforce-

ment of provincial occupational health and

safety law regarding violence in our workplaces.

“If the government and enforcement agencies

put proper focus on the actual unsafe work in

Ontario – health care – it would result in reduced

injuries and more health care workers on the job,

which would go a long way to assist a seriously

understaffed sector and reduce WSIB and health

care costs,” concluded Haslam-Stroud. “It would

be a win-win situation all around, not just for

health care workers, but for the patients of this

province.

We will never give up our fight to ensure our members don’t have to wake up wondering if this is the day they will be injured or made sick on the job.

Ontarians would like to see the bar raised for everyone.

MARCH 201418 www.ona.org

STUDENT Affiliation

Celebrating our Future Nurses!ONA Supports Student Nurses At National ConferenceThe ONA Board of Directors has shown our

union’s continued commitment to future nurses

by supporting and attending the National Con-

ference of the Canadian Nursing Students’ As-

sociation (CNSA), held in downtown Vancouver

from January 22-25, 2014.

Under the theme, “Envision. Create. Inno-

vate,” the conference, attended by more than

600 students across the country, featured sev-

eral guest speakers on topics such as gender di-

versity and computerized adaptive testing, and

a strong union contingent, including ONA First

Vice-President Vicki McKenna and Canadian Fed-

eration of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas.

Through an open platform of discussion and

collaboration, attendees were given the oppor-

tunity to learn about different educational op-

portunities available to them and expectations

from future health care employers and explore

their personal passions. The goal of the confer-

ence, hosted by Langara College, was to nurture

the ongoing effort to spark change and transi-

tions in nursing and empower nursing students

to create an impact in their communities, both

nationally and internationally.

During the conference, which also featured a

career fair and exhibit hall where ONA staffed a

table, McKenna linked with Ontario members of

the CNSA, including President Carly Whitmore,

the former Ontario Regional Director (ORD), and

current ORD Nick Alves. Alves was elected Com-

munications Director at the conference and Cat

Davy, a second-year nursing student from Lake-

head University, takes over as ORD in April. Ra-

jet Anand is the President-elect. ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud is an honourary member of

the CNSA.

Visit the Nursing Students box on the right-hand

side of our website at www.ona.org for more on

our nursing student affiliation.

Nursing students from Western University-Fan-

shawe College proudly display the banner

signed by their fellow nursing students to ac-

knowledge National Nursing Students’ Week

from November 17-23, 2013. During the week,

a Nursing Night Out event was staged, and

nursing students were given an array of ONA

promotional items. “It is important that we

celebrate National Nursing Students’ Week to

recognize our hard work and contributions

to the health care setting,” said Melany Nose-

worthy, the university’s Canadian Nursing

Students’ Association (CNSA) Official Dele-

gate. “As nursing students, we put in endless time and effort

preparing for unpaid clinical practicum and in-class assignments, which is one of the

reasons why this week means so much.” ONA members celebrated right alongside

them by displaying our new National Nursing Students’ Week poster (pictured), and

by embracing the new perspectives and energy that nursing students bring to our

profession. We encourage you to continue to talk to them about your experiences –

and listen to theirs – because we can learn so much from each other!

Nursing students make valuable contributions to our work, our Union, and our health.Celebrate by welcoming the new perspectives

and energy that nursing students bring.This National Nursing Students’ Week, let’s talk with nursing students and share our experiences as professionals and Union members.

Nursing Students: The Future of Our Profession

National Nursing Students’ WeekNOVEMBER 17-23, 2013

Celebrate National Nursing Students’ Week!All of the more than 14,000 nursing students studying in Ontario who are members of the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) are automatically affiliate-members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), Canada’s largest nurses’ Union.

@OntarioNurses

www.ona.org

EDUCATION

MARCH 2014 19www.ona.org

Succession Planning: Getting New and Emerging Leaders up to SpeedSuccession planning is critically important, not just for Local Coordinators

and Bargaining Unit Presidents, but for all ONA leadership teams in the

province, which account for approximately 10 per cent of our membership.

Succession planning establishes a process that recruits members, de-

velops their skills and abilities, and prepares them for advancement, all

the while retaining them to ensure that when the opportunity is there,

they are well prepared to step into the role.

An Effective Succession Plan An effective succession plan ensures that there are highly qualified peo-

ple in all positions within the union, not just today, but tomorrow, next

year and five years from now.

For the plan to be effective, Locals and Bargaining Units need to pe-

riodically review their executives and leadership teams, committee reps

and ONA unit reps at the Bargaining Unit level to ensure there are back-

ups for each position. Ideally, these backups are potential successors and

future leaders of the union.

To get started it’s critical to assess the knowledge, skills and abilities

currently held within your leadership team and the knowledge/skills gaps

of your potential successors. A good succession plan not only assesses

immediate priorities, it must also assess how those priorities can be met

within the Local’s budget, and determine how the long-term leadership

development needs might be met over the next few years as the dynamic

of the Local leadership team changes. Considerations may include:

• ONA’s formal full-day, half-day or lecturette education programs.

• ELearning programs and video lecturettes.

• ONA’s teleconnect sessions.

• Individualized coaching and mentoring programs for emerging lead-

ers so they can apply what they have learned.

• Attendance at Bargaining Unit, Local, executive, regional and provin-

cial meetings as part of an ongoing learning plan.

How ONA Education Can HelpONA has created a number of learning pathways to assist leadership teams

in planning for the future to ensure leaders have the opportunity to de-

velop competencies and skills related to labour relations, leadership in the

effective running of the Local, developing and building relationships, fos-

tering team work and succession planning.

For example, the learning needs for a new Bargaining Unit President may

be complex if the incumbent is a novice leader. ONA’s 2014 Education Brochure

outlines the recommended programs to meet the needs of a

Resources to Assist with Succession Planning • Your Regional Vice-President.

• 2014 Education Brochure, available on the ONA website at

www.ona.org/education.html.

• Education page of the ONA website (teleconnect dates,

access to the eLearning platform, 2014 Provincial

Education calendar) also at www.ona.org/education.html.

• ONA Workshop: Executive Skills IV: Preparing for the

Future – Engaging Members in the Work of the Union

(see calendar for scheduled dates or contact

MEETIntake@ona.org for more information).

continues

HUMAN RIGHTS and Equity

MARCH 201420 www.ona.org

It’s Time to Show the World our Pride!With the full support of the Board of Directors, ONA members and staff are working to-

gether to organize what we hope will be the largest ONA presence in a Pride event in our

union’s history: World Pride 2014 in Toronto. And you’re invited!

A variety of activities will be taking place during the last week of June to celebrate this

momentous event, culminating in the much-anticipated World Pride parade (see sidebar),

under the motivational theme, Rise Up!

Why Pride?Pride is an important time for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual (LGBT),

Transgender, Intersexual, Queer, Questioning and Two-Spirited communities. It originated

from a series of demonstrations by LGBT members in June 1969 in New York City in re-

sponse to police raids of a gay bar in the Stonewall Inn. This historical event marked the

beginning of the gay liberation movement that transformed the oppression of the LGBT

community into Pride.

Today, Pride is a time when the voices of the LGBT community, with the support of their

allies, are heard and their presence recognized. It’s a time to celebrate their collective his-

tory and courage confronting pervasive homophobia and

transphobia over many decades and renew the fight for

true equality in society. Pride also helps us appreciate the

diversity that exists in our communities, as LGBT people

come from a variety of backgrounds and identities.

Simply put, Pride stands for a commitment to creating

an inclusive community for all people. 

What is World Pride?Pride Toronto will be taking the lead as the host organization of Canada’s largest annual

festival of LGBT culture and human rights to present World Pride 2014 Toronto (WP14TO).

This is the first World Pride celebration in North America and the fourth such festival in the

world.

WP14TO will kick off on June 20 with 10 days of celebration. LGBT people and their al-

lies will be coming to Toronto from across the globe to participate in education, including

an international human rights conference, the Pride Parade, Trans March and Dyke March,

a street fair, and an arts and culture festival, including outdoor stages. There will also be

music and activities for kids.

Pride in Toronto is in its 34th year and attracts an average of 1.2 million people, includ-

ing a significant presence from the labour movement. This year, the Toronto and York Re-

gion Labour Council and the Canadian Labour Congress will be working with unions to

ensure the largest labour representation ever seen in a Pride Parade in North America!

knowledgeable and skilled Bargaining Unit

President. The first step would be to assess

the incumbent’s current knowledge and

skills, and considering the Local budget,

determine the best learning pathway to ad-

dress his or her immediate needs.

Some workshops on the recommend-

ed list can also be augmented or offset by

completing the following eLearning pro-

grams: the relevant Professional Respon-

sibility Workload Reporting program,

both grievance handling programs, and

the negotiations and the return to work

series of programs. In addition, ONA’s se-

ries of video lecturettes, available on the

eLearning platform, provide an effective

learning opportunity to augment leader-

ship knowledge and skills.

Remember a successful succession

plan ensures members are ready for lead-

ership roles as the need arises, and when

someone leaves, a potential successor is

ready to step up to the plate.

In the past, succession planning may

have been done informally and perhaps

only targeted on key leadership posi-

tions. With today’s rapidly changing and

complex environment, it is important to

expand this thinking to include all posi-

tions within the Local or Bargaining Unit.

We know there are numerous vacancies

at the Bargaining Unit committee level,

so perhaps start there. What can be done

to have a full leadership team? Filling

those positions lends itself to a succes-

sion plan that not only meets the needs

of members today, but also in the future.

Pride colours

A successful succession plan not only meets the needs of members today, but in the future. Pride is a time when

the voices of the LGBT community, with the support of their allies, are heard and their presence recognized.

continues from previous page

MARCH 2014 21www.ona.org

Why Show Your Support?At our annual Human Rights and Equity Caucus last November, our

LGBT members committed themselves to organizing for WP14TO –

and with good reason.

Although same-sex relationships are gaining more visibility and

acceptance, and same-sex marriage is legal in Canada, our members’

experience is that it is still not safe to speak up without fear of repri-

sal from their employers and alienation from coworkers. For many, it

continues to be difficult to be “out” at work, and there are significant

personal costs when they are forced to deny who they are when faced

with prejudice and stereotypes.

They reported that measures must be taken to ensure a safe work-

ing environment, free of discrimination and harassment based on their

sexual orientation and gender identity. They talked about the need for

more education in the nursing curriculum about LGBT people and their

health care needs and within our workplaces. They wanted to see an

end to the assumptions that are made about sexual orientation and

gender identity, which can make LGBT members feel invisible.

For these reasons, ONA wants to demonstrate our support to our

LGBT members. As such, the ONA Pride Committee, compromised of

ONA provincial and Local leaders, members and staff, has started pre-

paring our float and presence in WP14TO, including outreach to ONA

members. WP14TO may be a Toronto event, but planning is a prov-

ince-wide effort and we are happy to report that more and more Local

and Bargaining Unit leaders across the province are getting involved!

How Can You Join in?If you would also like to help us prepare for WP14TO or would like

additional information to assist you in participating, contact Region

1 Vice-President Pam Mancuso (Human Rights and Equity portfolio)

at (416) 964-8833, ext. 7703 or email pmancuso@ona.org, or Labour

Relations Officer and Pride Committee member Stacey Papernick at

(416) 964-8833, ext. 2282 or email staceyp@ona.org.

You are also welcome to join our Pride Committee meetings in

person or by phone. Our next meeting will be on March 31 from 9 to

11 a.m. at ONA’s provincial office in Toronto. Please contact Papernick

if you are interested.

Showing your support by participating in WP14TO means a great

deal to our LGBT members and staff. We hope to see you at World Pride!

Join Us for World Pride!World Pride is taking place in Toronto this June and all

members, nursing students, friends, family and youth

are encouraged to join the ONA Board of Directors

and staff to celebrate alongside our LGBT members.

We will be meeting on June 29 at 12:30 p.m. at

Rosedale Valley Road. Water, snacks and t-shirts will

be provided. ONA will also have a table at the World

Pride street fair from June 27 to 29. We encourage you

to drop by.

All parade information will be provided on our

WP14TO poster in the coming months, available on

your workplace ONA bulletin board, and on the ONA

website at www.ona.org/pride.

MARCH 201422 www.ona.org

AWARDS AND DECISIONS: The Work of our Union!

The following is a sampling of recent key awards and/or decisions in one or more of the following areas: rights arbitration, interest arbitration, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Ontario Labour Relations Board.

RightsHospitals cannot post “temporary” positions not covered by exceptions in collective agreementRegion 3 Hospital

Arbitrator Stout (September 11, 2013)

Article 10.07(d) of the central collective

agreement provides that vacancies not ex-

pected to exceed 60 calendar days and those

caused by illness, accident or leaves of ab-

sence (including pregnancy and parental)

may be filled at the discretion of the hospital.

These are referred to as “temporary” vacan-

cies. At issue in this case were three griev-

ances alleging that the hospital had violated

the central collective agreement by posting

three new full-time positions as “temporary”

positions. The postings ranged from six to 12

months.

Occasionally, the hospital receives fund-

ing from the Local Health Integration Net-

work (LHIN) or a physician receives a financial

grant from a third-party source that would al-

low it to hire an RN for a set period of time.

In filling these vacancies, the hospital would

post the positions as “temporary” and indi-

cate a fixed-end date. The hospital argued

that 10.07(d) is not exhaustive in that it only

speaks to some, but not all types of tempo-

rary vacancies. The hospital’s position was

that this was the reality of LHIN funding in

the current economic climate and that it was

acting within its management rights when

posting these “temporary” vacancies.

Further, in its view, there was no harm or

prejudice to ONA or to the incumbent RN in

that a different or former position remained

available when the funding ended.

ONA argued that Article 10.07(d) is ex-

haustive in stipulating the few situations

in which a temporary vacancy would be al-

lowable under the collective agreement. All

other positions are permanent and the posi-

tions in dispute should have been posted as

such. In our view, there exist no exceptions

for time-limited or temporary funding by an

outside source.

A secondary issue was whether the hos-

pital’s actions amounted to a layoff under

the collective agreement when the position

came to an end. ONA took the position that

given the line of cases holding that a reas-

signment for more than one shift of a nurse

triggers a layoff, should the funding be dis-

continued and the position cease, the nurse

in the position would be in a layoff situation

and be entitled to layoff options. Two earlier

and conflicting 2008 arbitration awards were

presented, which addressed similar issues.

Arbitrator Stout allowed the grievance

and made several key findings. First, Article

10.07(d) is sufficiently clear and provides a

definition of what a temporary vacancy is.

Further, the parties have expressly and spe-

cifically provided for the circumstances that

give rise to temporary vacancies and these

exceptions are complete and exhaustive. In

this case, the hospital mischaracterized the

postings as “temporary.” Further, he accepted

ONA’s argument that due to our unique lay-

off language, a nurse whose position ends

due to the termination of funding and who

subsequently returns back to her former po-

sition or is reassigned somewhere else in the

hospital, is in a layoff situation and should be

entitled to layoff options.

Importance to ONA: It appears that given

the current model of funding RN positions,

this scenario is prevalent across the province.

Therefore, we are hopeful this decision will

have a broad and positive impact and settle

any conflicts that may have arisen as a result

of the two previous awards.

WSIBMedical consultant concurs with diagnosis after WSIB denies benefitsEast Hospital

(July 23, 2013)

On April 7, 2012, the claimant, who was then

40 years of age, sustained a low back injury

transferring a patient from a bed to a chair.

There was no health care sought until April 9,

when the diagnosis was low back strain. The

nurse returned to modified duties.

MARCH 2014 23www.ona.org

The claim was allowed as a no lost time

claim. The nurse was discharged from phys-

iotherapy on June 7, 2012. She returned to

work with full duties, however she continued

to have pain resulting in an MRI in October

2012, which showed spinal stenosis and

moderate disk herniation.

The nurse had a few previous back com-

plaints from 2000, 2004 and 2007. The WSIB

case manager decided the stenosis and disc

herniation was not part of the claim and de-

nied any further health care or loss of earn-

ings (LOE) benefits. The nurse had a signifi-

cant increase in symptoms on February 6,

2013, requiring her to stop working and un-

dergo surgery the following April.

ONA filed an Intent to Object to the deci-

sion, stating that based on the facts of this

case and WSIB policy, that where it is not

clear on diagnosis compatibility with ac-

cident history, a medical consultant’s

(MC) opinion should be sought. The case

manager acted on this and the WSIB MC’s

opinion was that the diagnosis was com-

patible.

Entitlement for surgery and LOE for

six months was granted. Health care ben-

efits were also restored, along with return

to work support. This nurse returned to

work on July 19, 2013 and is being sup-

ported by her Local. Unfortunately, the

employer has appealed this decision.

LTDClaim denied despite multiple physical and mental health diagnosesRegion 3 Hospital

(March 15, 2013)

A member had multiple diagnoses, in-

cluding recurrent major depressive disor-

der, fibromyalgia, bilateral tenonopathy,

myofascial pain, chronic insomnia, mem-

ory impairment, hypertension, bilateral

hearing loss, and migraines.

After experiencing a frozen shoul-

der and developing chronic pain, the

member had a relapse of her psychiatric

illness. The Labour Relations Officer ob-

tained reports from the member’s psy-

chiatrist and neurologist and submitted

them on appeal.

Her claim for benefits was granted

retroactive to the end of her qualifying

period.

WHY IS ONTARIO

CUTTING RNs AND

PUTTING PATIENTS AT RISK?

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