April 27, 2021 at 3:30 PM
As you know, Unifor and Ornge have been in negotiations for close to a year working diligently to obtain a new collective bargaining agreement for the membership. The process finally culminated with the parties reaching a tentative agreement earlier this month.
Virtual ratification meetings were held for all of our paramedics, followed by a vote to accept the new agreement. However, the vote was rejected by 56%, even with approximately 76% of the members participating. However, this is not the end of the narrative.
Earlier today, Unifor issued a press release demanding that Ontario Premier Doug Ford lift the wage cap (as outlined in Bill 124) and avoid a possible strike. It should be noted that ORNGE is the only paramedic service to be included in Ontario’s Bill 124.
Unifor will be conducting 2 one-hour virtual membership meetings this coming Friday to hold a vital strike vote that has the attention and support of Unifor National President Jerry Dias. Details were emailed to ORNGE members at 1500 ET today.
In solidarity,
Your Ornge Bargaining Committee
Mark Etherington, Chairperson
Keith Simons, Northern Bases
Geoffrey Brown, Southern Bases
Ashley Watkins, Assistant to the Local President
Kelly-Anne Orr, National Staff Representative
For more information, please contact:
Ashley Watkins, Assistant to the Local President
21-04-27 ORNGE deserve more than Bill 124 EN.txt