The Ontario Nurses' Association says almost 3,000 community health workers are on strike as of Friday.
Community Care Access Centres (CCAC workers coordinate care for patients in hospital or needing home care or assistance getting long-term care. The striking workers say they had no choice but to go on strike.
“It’s kind of invigorating, it’s nice that we are out here for a good cause and it’s about time that we made a change,” said hospital care coordinator Sandra Dobis.
Union officials say what these health care workers are getting paid doesn’t match what other nurses make throughout the province.
“We are not asking for the world, we are asking for something reasonable and fair that 57,000 nurses in Ontario already have,” says Linda Haslem-Stroud with Ontario Nurses’ Association.
The strike affects nine out of 14 of CCAC’S across the province; including the ones in York Region and Simcoe Muskoka
Picket lines are up at hospitals with CCAC offices. The old collective agreement expired last March and negotiations had been underway since May of 2014.
CCAC officials say patients shouldn’t be worries at this point about care because there are back-up plans in place to cover for striking workers.
“We have a number of staff members from the CCAC that are stepping up in support function as well as in patient services functions to make sure that when patients call the CCAC or if we need to see patients out in the community urgently or in hospital they are being redeployed to help our patients,” says North Simcoe Muskoka CCAC CEO Megan Allen-Lamb.
But managers acknowledge people may experience some delays.
“We are triaging our patients based on need and those with greatest need will get services in a timely manner,” adds Allen-Lamb.
