ONA and OHA Reach Tentative Contract Agreement
TORONTO - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) announce that a tentative contract agreement has been reached for the province's 50,000 registered nurses and allied health personnel working in 137 participating provincial hospitals.
The agreement was reached today with the assistance of mediator Kevin Burkett. The agreement, if ratified by the two parties, becomes effective on April 1, 2008.
"I'm pleased that a tentative settlement has been reached through negotiations as these professionals deserve recognition for the irreplaceable work they do, caring for patients in this province under very difficult conditions," said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN.
"Both the OHA and ONA recognized that a negotiated collective agreement is in the best interests of hospital registered nurses and allied health professionals and our patients,” said OHA President and CEO Tom Closson. "The hard work of the OHA and ONA has resulted in this tentative agreement, and sets the stage for an even more productive working relationship over the next several years."
Details of the settlement will not be announced until the parties have met with their representatives on February 22, 2008. Local ratification meetings will be scheduled between February 25 and March 11; results will be announced by March 20.
The Ontario Nurses' Association is the union representing 53,000 front-line registered nurses and allied health professionals working in Ontario hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community and industry.
The OHA is a voluntary organization representing approximately 158 public hospital corporations across 225 sites in Ontario. As the voice of Ontario's hospitals, the OHA is shaping the health care system by fostering leadership, supporting innovation and building linkages between hospitals and their communities.
For more information:
Ontario Nurses' Association: Melanie Levenson, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2369
Ontario Hospital Association: Chris McPherson, (416) 205-1305