We have confirmed the following details for the All-Out-Shutdown Rally that is happening on January 29 from 1200-1330 in Toronto.
A BUS HAS BEEN ORGANIZED FROM KITCHENER TO TORONTO & BACK
Pickup #1 - Departing at 0900 sharp from Gateway Park Dr (Home Depot/Skyzone area)
Pickup #2 - 104 Lake Rd, Cambridge (401 Carpool Lot)
Departing Toronto at 1400. Pickup at The Hilton on Richmond St
Register for the bus here
ONLY 6 PEOPLE HAVE REGISTERED FOR SEATS ON THIS BUS SO FAR. 6 PEOPLE IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE THE STATEMENT WE NEED TO MAKE ON JANUARY 29! WE HAVE 600 ONA MEMBERS AT SMGH ALONE! 50 SEATS ON A BUS SHOULD NOT BE HARD TO FILL!
The rally is taking place outside of The Hilton on Richmond St W in Toronto where conciliation will be occurring with the OHA. If you want nurse to patient ratios to be negotiated into our collective agreement then YOU need to show up and raise your voice with us. We need as many people as possible to show up to make it crystal clear to the OHA, hospital CEO's and the government that it isn't just our bargaining team that they are negotiating with in that room. It's 68000 of us strong!
I'm not sure about all of you - but the Sunshine List sometimes helps fuel my fire and reminds me of why I'm in this fight.. It's illuminating to see the "value" of these people who make decisions that impact the work of hospital sector ONA members. It was insulting to see how these people try to reduce our worth to less than nothing - which was evident in the last round of provincial bargaining - review the ONA Interest Arbitration Reply Brief if you haven't had a chance to yet. It highlights how the OHA came to the table with us in our last round of bargaining. The things they tried to do to us through "bargaining" was insulting.
We know that Anthony Dale and David Brook are just some of the MANY decision makers who devalue the work of ALL ONA members. I don't think we need to be making $300,000 a year - but I DO think that we should be able to care for our patients properly, and safely, and that WE should be safe at work. We do deserve to maintain economic stability and we know that raises less than inflation for over a decade impacted our purchasing power in the long run. I also know that if we don't show up and fight for our bargaining demands we are going to be no better off than we are now - in fact, there's always the possibility we could end up worse off. Based on what has been posted on ONA's social media recently - I am very concerned about how bargaining is going.
Unfortunately, too many of us in ONA55 have been impacted by decisions that have left us with unmanageable workloads due to decisions made by our employer. These decisions are not driven by our employer alone - these decisions are guided by the OHA, and the funding from the government.
These are how things have evolved at our local over the past few years:
-All of the medicine units had a reduction to baseline staffing. Their nurse-to-patient ratio is 1:5 when fully staffed on day shift. Prior to these changes in late 2023, the ratios were 1:4, with a couple of nurses with an assignment of 1:5. 1:5 was the exception, NOT the rule. It is now their standard assignment, and only increases if there are sick calls. This is atrocious.
-There was "discussion" about increasing the nurse:patient ratio in the CCU from 1:2 to 1:3 - while simultaneously discussing increasing acuity and a desire to lean towards a level 3 unit at some point, while also adding RPN's instead of RN's in a critical care area. Only 1 of those things hasn't happened yet - the change to ratios.
-3West saw an elimination of RN positions that were replaced with RPN's
-600 has had a reduction to their baseline staffing after having a second stepdown unit opened leaving them with less support to care for patients in both stepdowns, and on the ward.
-There continues to be ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in critical care. There are times when MSICU is several nurses short in a single shift and is still responsible for responding to Code Blue's in the hospital.
-3East has nurse:patient ratios of 1:4 and frequently 1:5 on D shift. Meaning they are caring for cardiac patients on telemetry with the same # of patients as Medicine. There are often Medicine patients on telemetry, or off-service due to bed pressures so this gets mixed with cardiac patients making the workload quite heavy.
-The Surge Protocol was decreased to 15 holds in the ED before being enacted meaning that more patients are being moved to units that are already struggling due to staffing and acuity issues.
I support ensuring there is flow from the ED as there is significant workload burden in that department as well - but I have been advocating for changes to the Surge Protocol to allow for discussions to increase unit staffing if/when units are being surged and already struggling. We all want to support patients, and each other - but we need to know that there are contingency plans in place to keep EVERYONE safe.. and currently there aren't.
-Outpatient areas, and the OR have RN erosion actively happening and I anticipate this will worsen unless we stand firm for patient safety, and the work that we do.
-Decision makers are actively trying to replace us with "cheaper labour" - while simultaneously asking those who are being paid less to do the same or similar work to the RN. This is deskilling of our profession. It is exploitation of other workers. It is not evidence-based.
This is just a small snippet of the things that have been happening over the past few years. The trends are disturbing and the frequency and sheer volume of attacks that are occurring in healthcare is frightening.
I will be in Toronto on January 29th standing up for the profession I love. I hope that my fellow ONA members will be standing there with me.
If you've made it this far - there will be raffle prizes for attendees as well as snacks, and drinks for the ride there/back. You will also win additional "points" for some special things we are planning for Nurse's Week in May.
In solidarity,
Steph