Who speaks for Hamilton paramedics?
Our quest for better service, collective bargaining rights and a new contract.
The high turnover of Hamilton paramedics threatens ambulance services to our community. Our ambulance service is routinely operating without full complement of paramedics on shift, and struggling to meet mandated response times. Instability and uncertainty in management of the system can be blamed for the high staff
turnover.
It started with provincial downloading
Paramedics have been represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Local 256, for many years, and the province funded the ambulance service. However, the paramedics also lost their union “successor rights” in the downloading to municipalities. Another sad legacy of the Harris government.
Paramedics chose OPSEU
This meant that when the City of Hamilton took over responsibility for ambulance services last year, OPSEU was forced to re-sign its own members. More than 99 per cent of the paramedics voted to retain OPSEU as their bargaining agent.
Sweetheart deal
The City of Hamilton chose to ignore the wishes and legal bargaining rights of the paramedics. A city official entered into a what’s known as a “voluntary recognition agreement” with CUPE Local 5167. In this sweetheart deal, the city agreed to turn over the paramedics to CUPE by expanding the city workers’ bargaining
unit to include paramedics.
The deal was engineered to deny paramedics their own separate bargaining unit. The city even deducted union dues from the paramedics’ paycheques and gave them to CUPE.
Labour Board favours OPSEU
The Ontario Labour Relations Board, in its wisdom, did not agree with the city or CUPE. In a decision handed down Nov. 23, 2001, the board ruled that the paramedics should have their own bargaining unit, represented by OPSEU Local 256.
This separate bargaining unit best represents the special interests of emergency services workers. Hamilton firefighters and police also have their own bargaining units.
Another costly hurdle: Bill 136
The Labour Board decision should have cleared the way to allow the paramedics to negotiate a new contract with the city. But our story doesn’t end there, unfortunately. The city and CUPE have now triggered Bill 136, a labour relations law that governs what happens when cities amalgamate. Once again, both the City and
CUPE are attempting to deny paramedics their own bargaining unit and sweep them into a larger all-employee unit. Bill 136 may force yet another union representation vote. Hearings under Bill 136 could drag on for months.
City Council should ask: How much has 16 months of needless litigation cost the citizens of Hamilton?
City must treat paramedics fairly
Meanwhile, paramedics are working without a contract creating daily confusion and disharmony within the EMS department. We have requested that the City Of Hamilton show good faith and abide by the Labour Board decision by recognizing OPSEU Local 256 as the official representative of the paramedics.
Union dues owed
More than $206,000 of paramedics’ union dues is now in the City or CUPE coffers. Under the OPSEU constitution, paramedics do not pay union dues until a collective agreement is signed and ratified. OPSEU has requested the city and CUPE return the dues money that rightfully belongs to the members of OPSEU Local 256.
