Facts on Labour Disruption Affecting Nine CCACs

TORONTO, Feb. 4, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario's Community Care Access Centres want to ensure that their patients, caregivers, health care partners and the general public have the information they need about the impact of the strike by employees represented by the Ontario Nurses' Association.

On January 30, 2015, employees represented by the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), working in nine CCACs went on strike.

CCAC Employees represented by ONA in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant CCAC ratified the Employer's offer on January 29, 2015 which means that the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant CCAC is not affected by the strike.

The following four CCACs have no ONA-represented employees, are fully operational and are not affected by the strike by ONA:

• Champlain
• Central West
• Mississauga Halton
• Toronto Central

For information about the communities served by these CCACs, visit: www.healthcareathome.ca and follow the links to each CCAC's website.

The nine CCACs affected by ONA's strike action include: Central, Central East, Erie St. Clair, North East, North Simcoe Muskoka, North West, South East, South West and Waterloo Wellington.

Delivering Care to Patients
Contingency plans have been implemented in all impacted CCACs to support the ongoing provision of priority services to patients during this labour disruption. 

CCAC employees not represented by ONA, at the impacted CCACs, are working during the labour disruption to support the ongoing provision of priority services to patients.  Regulated health professionals continue to oversee patient care and all possible resources have been mobilized to ensure the ongoing provision of priority services to patients.

As always, all CCACs are working closely with their health care partners – physicians, hospitals, our contracted nursing and other provider agencies – to best support the continuity of care for patients with minimal disruption.

If you are currently receiving CCAC care…
If you are already a CCAC patient, then the personal support services, nursing or therapy that you are currently receiving in your home or at a clinic will continue to be delivered without interruption.

Every CCAC has contracts with a number of service provider organizations whose nursing, therapy, and personal support staff provide care to CCAC patients.  These health care workers are not affected by the labour disruption and are continuing to meet the care needs of CCAC patients.

If you are a new patient seeking CCAC care…
CCACs affected by the strike are working to ensure that patients with the highest need get the services they need as quickly as possible. 

CCAC employees are working closely with our hospital, long-term care and other health care partners to minimize delays and provide care to all who need it.

If you are waiting for placement to a long-term care home…
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.

CCACs continue to work closely with hospital partners to ensure patients are able to transition from hospital to home or to long-term care safely with the nursing and personal support services they need, provided by employees of the service provider agencies that have contracts with the CCAC for home care service delivery.

Status of Bargaining
Ten CCACs had been engaged in collective bargaining with ONA since spring 2014.  ONA represents 3,318 of employees working in 10 CCACs in Ontario.  ONA employees in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant CCAC ratified the Employer's offer on January 29, 2015.  Approximately 2,800 ONA employees in nine CCACs remain without an agreement. ONA's position on monetary issues has not changed since talks began.  The CCACs' offer includes a combination of wage increases and lump sums. 

Recent Negotiated Monetary Settlements
CUPE: CUPE represents Care Coordinators, Therapists, Technical and Administrative employees in eight CCACs, including Mississauga Halton, Central West, Erie St. Clair, South West, Waterloo Wellington, Central East, South East and Champlain.

The four-year agreement reached with CCAC employees represented by CUPE in April 2014 included a 0.7% across the board increase, plus a 0.7 % lump sum payment in each year of the agreement.

OPSEU: OPSEU represents Care Coordinators, Therapists, Technical, and Administrative employees in five CCACs, including Champlain, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant, North East, North Simcoe Muskoka and Central East.

The three-year agreement reached with CCAC employees in October 2014 included a 1.4% lump sum payment in the first year, a 1.0% increase across the board, plus a 0.7% lump sum payment in the second year, and a 1% wage increase across the board, plus a 1% lump sum payment in the third year.

ONA: The monetary elements of the ONA agreement that expired March 31, 2014 included a 1.2% lump sum payment in the first and second year.  In the third year ONA-represented employees received a 2.75% wage increase across the board.  Employees working in the north (North East and North West CCACs) received an additional 1.25 % wage increase.

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

For further information: John Priddle, Director, Strategic Engagement, OACCAC, 416-272-0721, [e-mail]

Related Links

http://www.oaccac.on.ca