The Work of the Union - Spring 2011 - Ontario Nurses' Association

Pull-out Feature SectionONA UpdAte: SpriNg 2011The Work of the UnionOntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO nsuccesses and Highlights: Fall/Winter 2009-2010NursiN g Week u pdate1

2 OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO nThe following is a summary of ONA’s key activities and successes sincethe last “The Work of the Union” update in fall 2011.Local political ActionONA leaders and members take advantage of a “meet and greet” receptionat our 2010 Biennial Convention to ask representatives fromthe government and members of the opposition parties questionsabout nursing and the health care system and to lobby for neededchanges.ONA members join 900 members and 9,000pensioners of the United SteelworkersUnion Local 1005 in their battle for retirementsecurity at the mass People VersusU.S. Steel rally in Hamilton.Thanks to the lobbying efforts of Local 83and the overwhelming support of the public,The Ottawa Hospital backs down on itsplan to forbid nursing staff from wearing colourfulor cartoon scrubs.Region 3 members hand out flyers outsidea subway station near Queen’s Park inToronto to promote our Value the Invaluablecampaign and urge commuters to vote inthe federal election for their candidate committedto improving our public health caresystem.Student AffiliationMembers join our allies in the labour movementfor an anti-scab rally at Queen’s bers at the London Gay Pride Parade,After a conversation with Local 100 mem-Park, timed to coincide with a vote in the London-Fanshawe MPP Irene MathyssenLegislature for a private member’s bill, ultimatelydefeated, which would have banned Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care campaign onplaces a brief statement and link to ourthe growing practice of hiring replacement her website in the fall of 2010.workers to avoid collective bargaining.Under the theme, Empowering Changein a New Decade, ONA staffs a booth atthe Ontario Regional Conference of theCanadian Nursing Students’ Association(CNSA) in Thunder Bay to explain our servicesand answer questions.ONA shows our commitment to futurenurses by supporting and attending theNational Conference of the CNSA inHamilton, which encouraged students todiscover the many opportunities in nursingand find their passion.Catherine Miller, a second-year nursing student,is named the 2010 Ontario recipient ofthe Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unionsscholarship and states that she has high respectfor ONA and looks forward to becomingan active member when she graduates.

4 OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO nIF ONLY REGISTERED NURSES WEREVALUED THE WAY PRO ATHLETES ARE.Support the best value in health care at ona.orggovernment relationsIF ONLY REGISTERED NURSES WEREVALUED THE WAY PRO ATHLETES ARE.Dollar for dollar, RNs improve our lives more than almostanyone. Support the best value in health care at ona.orgONBR10107E R5-NI TSAs_CARD_LETTER_2010-11-19.indd 111/19/10 8:51 PMOn the heels of our successful CuttingNurses, Cutting Care campaign, ONAlaunches phase one of an innovative andclever campaign in November 2010, Valuethe Invaluable, which likens registerednurses to pro athletes and asks Ontariansto value the priceless health care skills,leadership and knowledge they bring tothe system. The campaign, which featuresa series of radio, transit shelter and onlineads, receives high praise from members,the media and the public.ONA urges the Ministry of Health andLong-Term Care to move quickly to implementmeasures to improve long-term caremonitoring, as recommended in the reportof provincial Ombudsman Andre Marin,which states there are “serious, systemicproblems” with the government’s oversightof these facilities.Health care funding policies must focus oncreating and protecting RN positions, andon targeted retention initiatives, ONA tellsthe Standing Committee on Finance andEconomic Affairs in our pre-budget submission.ONA urges federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to support the labourmovement’s plan to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP),which would gradually increase CPP contributions by .43 per cent ofpensionable earnings for workers and employers over seven years,effectively doubling the average earnings replaced by CPP pensionbenefits to a maximum of $1,868 (in current dollars) per month.Representatives of seniors’ groups and unions, including ONA,which make up the Ontario Health Coalition’s (OHC) Long-TermCare Committee, gather at ONA’s provincial office to discuss keyissues in this sector.ONA continues to speak out against Canadian Blood Services’ decisionto replace registered nurses with unregulated unskilled workersfor initial blood donor screening, fearing the safety of the country’sblood supply could be at risk.The Board releases funds to launch phase two of our Value theInvaluable campaign in March 2011, which features a new radio andtransit shelter ad, continuing with the pro athlete theme.Leading up to the fall 2011 provincial election, ONA participates inWorking Families, a coalition formed eight years ago by members ofthe labour movement to make voters aware of policies that threatenthe well-being of working families across Ontario.As supported by members at the 2010 Biennial Convention, ONAendorses the Raise the Rates campaign, which includes the demandto increase social assistance rates by 40 per cent and restorethe Ontario Dietary Subsidy Program.

OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO n5ONA attends a Canadian MedicalAssociation/Maclean’s magazine panel presentationand open forum in Toronto to discusshealth care transformation in Canada.A letter of support is sent to Wisconsinworkers after Republicans in that State’sAssembly and Senate pass a measure toeffectively strip collective bargaining rightsfrom most public workers to bring statespending under control.Ontario nurses support greater transparencyand improved accountability for publicfunding for health sector organizations,ONA states in a submission on Bill 122, theBroader Public Sector Accountability Act.ONA interviews members and prepares asubmission on health care needs in ruraland northern Ontario from a nurse’s perspectivefor the government panel lookinginto this issue.While ONA is pleased the Ontario budgettakes some action to ensure health caredollars are going to improve health outcomes,we know that a 1.5 per cent increasein hospital operation budgets is notenough.ONA welcomes the announcement that the government is investing$99.7-million in the New Graduate Guarantee program in 2011to help employers create full-time, six-month positions that can beoffered to new nursing graduates; $8-million annually in the Late-Career Nursing Initiative, so approximately 1,500 late-career nursescan take part in the program; and $64-million in 2011-12 for 60,000new post-secondary seats of which 15 per cent (about $9.6-millionfor this year) will be for RN programs.To mark Mother’s Day and Nursing Week 2011, ONA releases importantnew research and recommendations that focus on the valueof care provided by women, including nurses.ONA continues to lobby for changes and come up with solutions tohelp undo the harm done to nurses and their patients in the 1990s,ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud tells the International Congressof Nurses Conference in Malta.The provincial government’s decision to expand the powers of nursepractitioners to allow them to discharge and admit patients from hospitalsis good news for patients, who will be able to get home to theirfamilies sooner, ONA says.ONA makes a submission on the proposed initial draft regulationsfor the Retirement Homes Act, 2010, which covers matters such ascare and safety standards, and areas where regulations have notyet been issued.ONA applauds the government’s announcement of 72 public healthnurses (two full-time per health unit) to serve priority groups in communitiesacross the province.NursiN g Week u pdatesuccesses and Highlights: Fall/Winter 2009-20105

6 OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO nHealth and SafetyThe Expert Panel reviewing Ontario’s occupationalhealth and safety system issuesa report containing 46 recommendations,which reflected many of those spelled outin ONA’s submission and from our members,who met with the panel last fall.ONA applauds the news that MetronConstruction Corporation, its owner JoelSwartz and others associated with the companywill be prosecuted under the CriminalCode of Canada for criminal negligence inthe deaths of four migrant workers, who fell13 storeys when their scaffolding broke inhalf on Christmas Eve 2009.Nurses must never dismiss incidents ofviolence, no matter how trivial they thinkthey are, ONA tells a symposium on workplaceviolence, held on National Day ofRemembrance and Action on Violenceagainst Women in Windsor.ONA members across the province rememberthe registered nurses, allied health professionalsand thousands of other workerswho have lost their lives or suffered injurieson the job during Day of Mourning events.ONA provides an oral presentation andwritten submission to the Workplace Safetyand Insurance Board (WSIB) FundingReview focusing on the issue of full fundingand WSIB incentive programs.Thanks to our submission and online letterwriting campaign, the government amendsBill 160, Occupational Health and SafetyStatute Law Amendment Act, which addressesthe majority of our concerns.Human rights and equityThe annual Human Rights and Equity Caucus, held during BiennialConvention week, enjoyed the highest number of attendees ever,with 99 per cent of participants stating they were either “satisfied” or“very satisfied” with the day.Important amendments are made to ONA’s Statement of Beliefs, under“Diversity and Equity,” at the Biennial Convention, including replacingthe word “gender” with “sex” in describing differences under“diversity.”ONA adds our voice to the Colour of Poverty campaign’s open letterto Prime Minister Stephen Harper, urging him to reaffirm the federalgovernment’s commitment to equity by strengthening, not dismantling,the Employment Equity Program.To remove or minimize systemic barriers experienced by RNs andensure the human rights of other professional employees in thisprovince, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s policies must setstandards for how regulatory bodies of self-governing professionsshould act to ensure compliance with the Human Rights Code, ONAstates in a submission.ONA holds its first quarterly human rights and equity teleconnect,which receives rave reviews from the participants.

OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO n7Member educationOrganizing SuccessesApproximately 40 registered nurses from the James Bay regionare now members thanks to a successful Public Sector LabourRelations Transition Act (PSLRTA) vote in late February 2011 followingthe amalgamation of the federal Weeneebayko General Hospitalin Moose Factory and the provincial James Bay General Hospital,which operates three sites.Following a PSLRTA vote at the Canadian Mental Health Associationin Windsor, ONA represents our first all-nurse practitioner BargainingUnit.After a merger of North Bay and District Hospital with the North EastMental Health Centre, nurses at the facilities overwhelmingly chooseONA as their union during a PSLRTA vote, meaning we retain 466members and welcome an additional 79 members.In one of our most successful certification votes to date, nurses atTrillium Health Centre in Mississauga say “yes” to joining ONA, resultingin more than 1,600 new members.Nurses and allied health professionals in the following organizationsalso choose ONA as their union, meaning we welcome 75 newmembers: Hampton Terrace Care Centre, Brant Centre Long-TermCare Residence, Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, OMNI GardenTerrace, and Providence Manor Long-Term Care.Members and student affiliates can accessa vast array of ONA education programs atno cost and from the comfort of their ownhome after our eLearning platform is officiallylaunched at the Biennial Convention.ONA’s 2011 Education Brochure is postedon our website to detail all the workshops,eLearning modules and training DVDsavailable.The New Local Coordinators/TreasurersConference, held over three days inJanuary 2011 to help Local leaders meettheir accountabilities and learn and updateskills, is overwhelmingly received.In keeping with the times, ONA launchesa Twitter account and Facebook page sousers can receive regular updates aboutour work and to provide another venue todemonstrate the value of our services toprospective members.Education at the March ProvincialCoordinators Meeting focuses on what’shot in arbitration case law.successes and Highlights: Fall/Winter 2009-2010NursiN g Week u pdate7

8 OntariO n urses’ a ssO ciatiO nprofessional issuesONA meets with government and College of Nurses of Ontario(CNO) representatives, and launches a letter writing campaign toprotest changes to the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)regarding personal liability, which results in the CNO deferring anychanges to its general bylaws until further discussions can takeplace with government and stakeholders. The government has alsonot proclaimed amendments to the Act regarding personal liability.The Independent Assessment Committee looking into the RenalHemodialysis Unit at Sault Area Hospital, Local 46, issues 30 recommendationsthat confirm RNs have been required to performmore work than is consistent with proper patient care.Registered nurses at Lakeridge Health’s 36-bed in-patient surgicalunit (Oshawa site), Local 51, take their concerns about inadequateRN staffing levels to an Independent Assessment Committee afterwaiting two years for their employer to implement the “all-RN skillsmix” on the unit.ONA develops a Home Care Network with home care BargainingUnit Presidents, which teleconnects regularly on key issues in thesector, and follows in the footsteps of our Community Care AccessCentre and Public Health networks.Quarterly professional practice teleconnects continue with high ONAmember participation and satisfaction.*To view “ONA Update: Fall 2010,” see the December 2010 issue ofFront Lines or log onto the ONA website at www.ona.org.Ontario Nurses’ Association85 Grenville St., Ste. 400Toronto ON M5S 3A2Tel: (416) 964-8833Toll-free: 1-800-387-5580Fax: (416) 964-8864Copyright © 2011 Ontario Nurses’ Association