Ontario Nurses Association and WECHU navigate pay increases for nursing staff

Contract talks are heading to conciliation for nurses with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU).

In 2019 the nurses were on strike for two months to back their contract demands.

This is their first contract talks since, and the existing agreement expired at the end of the March.

The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) says that the 75 nurses are fighting for fair wages and improved hours of work.

“Windsor Essex public health nurses have among the lowest public health wages in the province,” says Erin Ariss, RN and ONA Provincial President. “Without fair wages and hours of work, public health nurses in Windsor Essex County cannot provide the high-quality services and care residents need and deserve.”

Although talks are ongoing, the ONA issued strong evaluations of WECHU’s intentions to expand service in the future, and the impact of those plans on their nursing staff, “The employer has shared plans to expand their programs and services, adding to the workload of their dedicated nurses, all while refusing to pay them fairly. This will do nothing to retain the skills and expertise of the nurses who keep Windsor Essex residents healthy and safe,” said Ariss.

“We cannot keep expecting nurses to take care of us if we do not take care of them.”

As talks continue, ONA says they do not currently have a deadline, nor have they taken a strike vote.