Expression of Interest – Provincial Political Action Committee

MANDATE

ONA’s vision as a union is to empower members to take collective action for safe, equitable workplaces and high-quality health care for all Ontarians.

ONA members do this by building the high participation of ONA members within union structures (locals and bargaining units) to win workplace and political change. They identify issues that matter enough that they want to take action to make change, join together to make demands of decision makers – employers and governments – and take actions to make those demands. When they use their collective power, they can pressure decision makers to make the changes they need in the workplace and in politics.

To provide safe care for their patients, residents and clients, nurses and health-care professionals must have safe and decent working conditions. As a union we believe that an injury to one is an injury to all and that is why our members fight for workplace and political change, ONA members bring to this struggle the perspective that all patients, residents, clients, and members are valuable and must be treated with dignity, respect, and equity. This means challenging systems that dismiss, discredit, destroy and divide us.

As an ONA collective we know that as part of the working class, we are stronger together. By building relationships with organizations, groups, individuals and unifying with movements for social and racial economic justice to achieve common goals, this is the most effective way to make workplace and political change to achieve and maintain high-quality patient care. ONA believes members are concerned with workplace and health-care system change and are active members of their communities, and that workplace and political change must involve improving their quality of life by building healthy communities.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Provincial Political Action Committee will be made up of ONA members from across the province. This committee will develop recommendations for province-wide political action plans that are subject to Board approval. The committee will actively participate in the implementation of province-wide political action plans that have been approved by the Board within their region and with the support of the First Vice-President with the portfolio of Political Action and their Regional Vice-President:

• Identify province-wide trends on workplace or political issues impacting nurses, health-care professionals, patients, residents, clients, and their communities on which ONA members have vocalized the need for change.
• Recommend short- and long-term province-wide political action plans on issues that impact ONA members, patients, residents, clients, and their communities to achieve and maintain high-quality patient care and healthy communities.
• Work actively with Board members, staff, and Local Coordinators to implement approved political action plans on a regional basis.

COMPOSITION

• Chair of Committee – First Vice-President with the Political Action Portfolio
• Six (6) members who have responded to an Expression of Interest:
  • One from Regions 1, 2, 4 and 5.
  • Two from Region 3.
• Two (2) representatives from ONA’s Board of Directors
• Staff Lead, assigned by CEO
• Staff support, Member Mobilizer
• Subject matter experts, as necessary

TERM

• Standard term is two years.
• We are recruiting to complete the current term, ending December 31, 2024.

 MEETINGS

• Every other month
• Remote attendance will be encouraged with the option of one meeting a year in Toronto, held in conjunction with the Provincial Leadership Meeting (PLM.)

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

Preferred leadership qualities:

• Leadership
  • Visionary
    • Understanding of how change happens based on power
    • Belief in high participation unionism using collective power
    • Seeing and communicating the big picture e.g., future of nursing and political landscape
    • Believing change is possible and raising expectations
  • Task Achievement
    • Demonstrated experience with member organizing and mobilizing
    • Demonstrated experience or willingness to have one-on-one organizing conversations with ONA leaders and members
  • Building Relationships
    • Communication skills
    • Good at interpersonal relationships
    • Belief in union structures and working with ONA leaders (elected/appointed)
  • Personal Qualities
    • Openness to learning new ways of thinking and doing
    • Engaging others
    • Team worker
    • Willingness to have difficult conversations
    • Building others
  • Member with entitlements

ORIENTATION AND EDUCATION

The members of the Provincial Political Action Committee will receive training to deepen their analysis of workplace and political issues, organizing methods and campaign planning that will enable all participants to make effective contributions to the Committee’s work.

VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

All committee members will actively live ONA values – respecting diversity of opinion and ONA’s Statement of Beliefs.

Committee members are expected to come to meetings prepared having reviewed the materials, having had two-way “live” communication with Local Coordinators to gain an understanding of the workplace and political issues of concern identified by Bargaining Unit Presidents and their members, seeking feedback on plans and actions, reporting on their progress with the implementation of plans and actions, be prepared to share that information, ask questions, brainstorm solutions, make suggestions and recommendations for action.