The hospital decision provides for a 1% increase for nurses and health-care professionals. This is because of the Bill 124 wage cut legislation that continues to suppress the wages of nurses and health-care professionals and prevents us from bargaining to keep up with inflation.
In response to the anger, frustration, and disregard that nurses and health-care professionals are feeling and that are exacerbated by this arbitrator’s decision, we are providing a vehicle for action by which members can focus their feelings and energy on the root cause of the problem – the Ford Conservative government.
Immediately after the sector meeting, we are launching a selfie campaign. It needs to go viral. The focus is retention and recruitment. The narrative right now is that nurses and health-care professionals are leaving the profession in large part because wages are not keeping up, and this is directly related to Bill 124.
Ford’s provincial Conservatives are creating a nursing crisis in Ontario. It is time for all ONA members to unite and use your power to send a collective message to government that through Bill 124 the Ford provincial Conservatives are creating a nursing crisis in Ontario. They have the power to stop this and repeal the bill.
We are asking every ONA member to please ask each of the ONA leaders or members you work with to engage in the campaign. Please encourage leaders to share the campaign information with their members using all the ways that they communicate in their bargaining units and locals. A Nation Builder email will also be sent out to all members and the information is on the ONA website. ONA will be promoting the campaign on ONA social media channels.
Here is how to participate
Download or print a selfie sign from the ONA website. There are two key messages: “I am worth more than a wage cut” and “Ontario is driving nurses away. Stop the wage cuts!” Also use the ONA the FB frame, hashtags, sample tweets on our website at https://www.ona.org/stop/
Take a selfie holding the campaign poster. Send in your photos to onamail@ona.org or send ONA a Direct Message on Facebook. Selfies will be shared on ONA’s social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
You can also post on your own social media feeds. Be sure to tag @fordnation and your local MPP. Tag ONA at Facebook @OntarioNurses and Instagram @ontario.nurses Add #NursesDeserveBetter #HealthProfessionalsDeserveBetter #StopBill124 to your post.
