RNs’ new four-year deal expires March 31
An arbitration board has just awarded the 26 registered nurses who work at city-owned Huron Lodge a new four-year contract, which expires in 44 days.
“It’s absolutely unusual, it’s not unheard of but it’s unusual,” Ontario Nurses’ Association president Vicki McKenna said Wednesday, referring to the length of time it has taken to get a deal at the 224-bed long-term care home. The contract runs from April 1, 2014, to March 31, providing the 13 full-time and 13 part-time nurses annual wage increases of 1.4 per cent.
“We’re certainly pleased that they have a contract, but we’re right back into bargaining,” McKenna said, explaining that the nurses should be getting retroactive cheques to pay for their raises going back four years. In addition to the raises for all the nurses,
We’re certainly pleased that they have a contract, but we’re right back into bargaining.
there’s a 32-cent-per-hour raise going to the starting rate for RNs. The pay ranges from a start rate of $32.21 an hour to a top rate of $46.11.
McKenna said the raises mean that the Huron Lodge nurses maintain parity with hospital nurses, recognizing the complex work they do in long-term care.
Because hospital and long-term care nurses are not allowed to strike, when the two sides can’t reach an agreement, negotiations end up in arbitration. The union and municipality present their cases and the arbitration board, made up of a chairman and representatives appointed by the union and the municipality, go away to discuss the details and make the award.
This award was issued Feb. 5. Attempts to interview management from Huron Lodge or the city were not successful on Wednesday.
McKenna said no dates have yet been set for the next round of bargaining. She is hoping it won’t be a repeat of the last round. “We just can’t drag things on forever,” she said. “Let’s not prolong this. Let’s get to the table in the next round as quickly as possible to renew the collective agreement, so we don’t go through a process like this again.”