CCAC Services Continue During Strike by Employees Represented by the Ontario Nurses' Association

Nine CCACs Across Ontario Affected by Labour Disruption

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Nine Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) across Ontario have not reached collective agreements with the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA).  Employees in nine CCACs, represented by the union, primarily care coordinators and nurses, have voted to reject the Employer's offer and are now on strike.

CCACs affected  by ONA's strike action include:

• Central CCAC
• Central East CCAC
• Erie St. Clair CCAC
• North East CCAC
• North Simcoe Muskoka CCAC
• North West CCAC
• South East CCAC
• South West CCAC
• Waterloo Wellington CCAC

Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant CCAC will not experience any labour disruption as their ONA employees ratified the Employer's offer.

As well, the following four CCACs who do not have ONA representation are not affected by the labour disruption: Champlain, Central West, Mississauga Halton and Toronto Central.

Contingency plans are being implemented in all impacted CCACs to support the ongoing provision of priority services to patients during this labour disruption.  The safety and well-being of patients remains the top priority. CCAC staff not represented by ONA will continue to work during the labour disruption. 

During the labour disruption:

• CCACs will continue to remain accessible to patients and families, partners, and the general public.
• CCACs will continue to work closely with hospital partners to ensure patients are able to transition home from hospital safely.
• Patients receiving care in homes, schools and clinics will continue to receive these services as per their individualized care plans.  For example, patients being seen by a visiting nurse, therapist or personal support worker will continue these services without interruption
• People who are waiting for a room in a long-term care home will be contacted as soon as a room becomes available as per their designated choices.

All CCACs will work closely with health care partners during this strike to best support the continuity of care for all patients with minimal disruption.

"All CCACs are focused on delivering on our commitments to patients and families during this challenging time" says provincial CCAC spokesperson Megan Allen-Lamb, CEO of North Simcoe Muskoka CCAC. "We are ready to return to the bargaining table at any time to negotiate a settlement and are committed to negotiating agreements that are fair, responsible and reflect our commitment to providing high-quality service with the prudent use of public funds."

Ten CCACs had been engaged in collective bargaining with ONA since spring 2014. ONA's position on monetary issues has not changed since talks began.  The CCACs' offer, rejected by employees in nine CCACs, included a combination of wage increases and lump sums and were comparable to the collective agreements achieved with CCAC employees represented by OPSEU and CUPE.

Ontario's 14 CCACs get people the care they need in their homes and communities across the province, serving 700,000 people across the province last year.  Funded by the provincial government through Local Health Integration Networks, CCACs provide a single point of access to a wide range of home and community services, enabling people to get the specialized blend of health care services they need, when they need it.

SOURCE Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres

John Priddle, Director, Strategic Engagement, OACCAC, 416-272-0721, [email protected]