Essex-Windsor EMS vote in favour of strike
The union representing Essex-Windsor EMS says paramedics have voted 100 per cent in favour of strike action.
CUPE Local 2974 tells AM800 News that amid contract negotiations on Monday, paramedics have voted in favour of a strike due to numerous issues including staffing shortages and strain on the health-care system.
The union says paramedics are not legislated as "essential workers" and are governed by a different legislation, therefore if a strike occurs there would still be EMS services available to the public but could possibly see a reduction in services.
CUPE Local 2974 president James Jovanovic says paramedics are understaffed and strained every day.
"We are reaching a point where we're no longer able to compete with other services in the province for a very limited amount of paramedics entering into the profession,” says Jovanovic. “So, because of that we're seeing significant understaffing, which coupled with the strain that we're experiencing day-to-day, this is just exacerbating those mental health trauma issues that we're having."
Jovanovic says the union is in active negotiations and is trying everything they can to reach a fair deal.
Essex Windsor-EMS Chief Bruce Krauter issued a statement to CTV News.
“Essex-Windsor EMS and the County of Essex are currently bargaining with CUPE representatives and will have no comment on those discussions as they are ongoing. We are committed to the bargaining process and to negotiating a fair contract,” Krauter said. “All ambulance services in Ontario are governed by the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, which ensures no community will be left without ambulance coverage due to a labour disruption.”
— With files from CTV News Windsor's Travis Fortnum
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.