Thunder Bay Public Health Nurses Heading to Conciliation: Nurses trying to avoid being forced to strike

THUNDER BAY, ON, Sept. 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) Public Health Nurses working for the Thunder Bay Health Unit have scheduled two days of conciliation, trying to avoid being forced to strike.

The 58 nurses ? including one Nurse Practitioner ? have been working without a contract since December 31, 2016 and the two sides have had three days of negotiations.

Conciliation is scheduled for September 18 and 19. ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN, is urging the employer to come to conciliation prepared to offer a fair and respectful contract.

"Our highly educated, skilled and dedicated Public Health Nurses provide a full range of services to promote the health of our communities, prevent illness and injury and protect residents from communicable and infectious disease outbreaks," she said. "Our nurses recently worked to contain an outbreak of tuberculosis in this community, yet they remain the lowest-paid of all Public Health Nurses in Ontario."

McKenna adds that, "every one of our Public Health Nurses is dedicated to ensuring the best health for this community. It is vital that this employer show our female-dominated profession the respect it has earned and come to conciliation prepared to negotiate a contract that recognizes the value of what they do."

ONA is the union representing more than 65,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses Association