#6  February 5,  2003

The OHA is the problem here

Taking part in the Hospital Emergency Day of Action need not mean having a fight with your manager.

Your manager is probably a pretty decent person, who cares as much as you do about providing professional services to the patients in your hospital.

Your manager isn’t involved in bargaining on the side of the OHA.

Make it clear to your manager that there is nothing personal in this. You are fighting for a decent contract, one that will allow the hopsital to attract new people to the professions, one that will encourage young people to train for hospital work.

Let’s keep the focus of any anger where it belongs - on the OHA. It’s the OHA that is holding up a good central contract for 5,000 people in 40 hospitals.

Our action may well make your manager’s job easier.

Grieve those threats

Here is suggested wording for grievances dealing with threats and intimidation.

Policy Grievance

The Union grieves that the hospital is interfering with union activity and is intimidating employees by threatening them with discipline regarding the February 13 Hospital Emergency Day of Action. This is a violation of Article 3 and any other relevant article of the collective agreement.

Remedy Sought:

Full redress, including that the hospital cease and desist from the interference and intimidation, retract its threats and concentrate its energies instead on encouraging the OHA to return to the table to bargain a central collective agreement with OPSEU.

Individual Grievance

I grieve that contrary to the provisions of Article 3 of the collective agreement and any other relevant articles, the hospital is attempting to intimidate me with threats of discipline and is interfering with my right to engage in union activity.

Remedy Sought:

Full redress, including that the hospital cease and desist from this action and retract its threats.

You can listen to OPSEU’s radio ads at http://www.opseu.org/bps/health/hospital/radioads.htm .

There are four versions of the ad, which raises the profile of hospital professionals and promote the Feb. 13 Hospital Emergency Day of Action. All versions have the same basic message against a varying background that names some of the professions we represent. They are running on 84 stations.

Click on the links to get the four different versions. The French version of the ad is on the French website at www.sefpo.org.

Need more info?

Recorded message: 1-866-433-4633

Authorized for publication: Leah Casselman, President