FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 25, 2002

City creating chaos with ambulance services, paramedics’ union charges

LINDSAY - Forcing existing paramedics to re-apply for their own jobs and bringing in replacements from outside the area will destabilize and create chaos for critical care services in Lindsay and the surrounding area, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

Barry Greenfield, unit steward with OPSEU Local 309 and a paramedic with the ambulance service, says that forcing paramedics to re-apply for jobs they already hold has negatively impacted morale and could ultimately destabilize service to the entire area.

“It would appear that the City of Kawartha Lakes is trying to get rid of staff that live in this area and are intimately familiar with the surroundings,” Greenfield said. “By bringing in paramedics who do not know the area, it will have a negative effect on service delivery and response times.”

Jamie Ramage, elected chair of OPSEU’s Ambulance Division and a paramedic in Hamilton, said that this move is a clear violation of the law.

“Our paramedics have the right to keep their job, their contract and their union when these types of transfers take place,” Ramage said. “Our position is that the City of Kawartha Lakes is violating the law. We can only question council’s real motive for their actions.”

Terry Baxter, OPSEU staff representative, said that the City’s plan to merge the paramedics into the existing CUPE bargaining unit could paralyze critical care services.

“Right now, we have a collective agreement that addresses working conditions,” Baxter said. “We have mechanisms in place that resolve disputes and prohibits the withdrawal of service. If the City is successful in its plan, paramedics will become part of a collective agreement that resolves contract disputes through strikes or lockouts. Why would the City of Kawartha Lakes impose that kind of risk on its citizens?”

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For further information: Barry Greenfield (705) 887-9138, 705-879-7643

Jamie Ramage: (289) 260-4728
Terry Baxter: (705) 760-0882