UPDATE

O C T . 2 0 1 1

MEMBERS
Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE

Provincial election October 6

Job Security may be

Your IS...

At risk

The healthcare spending promises of the Liberal, Conservative and NDP will mean cuts to spending on hospitals and long-term care over the next four years. The Conservatives promise to contract-out all support service work in the public sector. Under the Liberals, services like food and surgical preparation and delivery are being privatized. The Conservatives support clinical procedures being performed by private clinics. The Liberals are moving hospital patients to for-profit retirement homes.

Please vote

th

OCTOBER

Ask the candidates:

1. Your partys healthcare funding promises will mean cuts to hospitals and long-term care. What is your position? 2. Will you oppose the privatization of any hospital services?

The latest opinion polls indicate that this provincial election will be very close. Your vote and that of your friends and family members can make a difference on October 6.

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Plan (HOOPP) continues to be fully funded, meaning that contribution rates will remain at current levels until at least the end of 2013 speaking to the strength of the Plan.
At Trillium and Credit Valley hospitals in You have strong protections around contracting-out Mississauga staff in SPD have been told that their in your contract, for example you cannot be laid off ! because of contracting-out. Due work is effortscontracted-out to Steri-Pro, which to the being of OCHU and healthcare employers, eligible part-time employees are learning how has built a achievein the western GTA. CUPE enrollingchoose to go with your work, you must be they can factory their retirement goals by If you in the Plan. HOOPP recently 3252 held demonstrations against locals 4191 and launched its latest awarenesscovered by identicalDay the Future Arrived, campaign, The terms and conditions of to helpproposal on September 16. their part-time staff employment -value of joining HOOPP. about the the contractor must sign a contract the employers educate At Kingston General Hospital, food service staff with your union that is identical to the one that you ! have been told that their work is being contractedhave now. out to Compass, which has built a food factory in If you choose to transfer with your work, you can ! Toronto. CUPE local 1974 in held a number of post back to any employees have enrolled in Since the campaign started has 2007, more than 23,000 part-timejob at the hospital you can do and the town hall meetings and demonstrations against the you carry back the seniority that you left with. Plan. proposal. To understand your rights in a contracting-out OCHU is proud to offer participation in a defined benefit plan where retirement income will be Across Eastern Ontario, clerical staff long as in situation see OCHUs Membership Guide to Job based on a formula and paid for as who work you live. hospital laboratories have been told that their work Security, which can found at www.ochu.on.ca. For more information, visit http://www.hoopp.com <http://www.hoopp.com> will transfer to Eastern Ontario Regional ! Laboratories System in April 2012. Our job is to fight these proposals to contract-out These changes have taken place under the work. The new employers will not deliver the same provincial Liberal government. If the Liberals are quality of service, the numbers of workers will be re-elected we can expect the pace of contracting reduced and the costs will be higher. We will be out to speed up. asking your help to push back against this trend. The Conservatives will contract out all support ! service work if elected.

Contracting-out a real risk?

S!

While the global economic climate has been shaky, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) continues to be fully funded, meaning that contribution rates will remain at current levels until at least the end of 2013 speaking to the strength of the Plan. Due to the efforts of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), other healthcare unions and employers, eligible part-time employees are learning how they can achieve their retirement goals by enrolling in the Plan. HOOPP recently launched an awareness campaign, The Day the Future Arrived, to help educate part-time staff about the value of joining HOOPP. Since the campaign started in 2007, more than 23,000 part-time employees have enrolled in the Plan. OCHU is proud to offer participation in a defined benefit plan where retirement income will be based on a formula and paid for as long as you live. Two of the HOOPP Trustees, Helen Fetterly and Louis Rodrigues are CUPE members. Helen is also the chair of the pension plan. For more information, visit http://www.hoopp.com

PENSION NEWS

Please Join CUPE!

Please find the union card in this package and give it to your local union executive. To deal with the challenges we are facing we need everyone to join the union and to be active. Check out

Seniors Care
Hotline, video
18,500 acute care hospital beds have been closed in Ontario in the last 15 years. Ontario has the fewest number of hospital beds of any country with a developed economy. There is a lot of pressure to move seniors out of hospital, even when they are very ill. OCHU has set up a hotline for patients, staff and family members to call if this happens to them: 877-599-0770. OCHU has produced a video on the need for a minimum of 3.5 hours of nursing and personal care in long-term care. The video can be seen at www.ochu.on.ca. The video will be used to push the next government on this issue. None of the political parties is promising funding to achieve a minimum standard of care.

CAMPAIGNS
www.ochu.on.ca!

1.RPN scope of practice 2.Cleaning and hospital acquired infection 3.Producing good food in the hospital 4.Minimum standards of care in ltc 5.Representing licensed trades 6. Clerical 7. Pharmacy Technicians

Attack on arbitration
The Conservative party is calling for changes to the interest arbitration system. Hospital and long-term care workers in Ontario do not have the right to strike. If we cant negotiate an agreement with our employer, the issues are sent to interest arbitration, ! where an independent panel makes a decision. The Conservatives plan to change the process so that arbitrators would have to take into account ability to pay and local economic conditions. These changes will bias arbitration in favour of our employers. The Ontario Hospital Association has also recently called for changes to the arbitration system.

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EVERYTHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW

A B O U T
S E J O B C U R I T Y

OCHU has produced membership guides to: - the job security provisions of your contract - your benefit plans and the long-term disability plan - the Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan You can find these booklets and download them at the OCHU website: www.ochu.on.ca. Your local union is a member of OCHU and has worked with us to produce these materials.

BENEFITS

PENSIONS

AND MORE!

www.ochu.on.ca 205 Richmond Street West, Suite 502, Toronto Ontario M5V 1V3 416-599-0770