Four-year contract negotiated by new Ontario Council of Hospital Unions
Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) staff in Kingston, Ont., voted to be represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on May 22.
More than 1,900 clerical staff, registered practical nurses and care aides, porters, dietary, environmental, trades and other employees at both KHSC sites (Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital) took part in a workplace-representation vote at the end of last week supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
“We feel very privileged that KHSC staff have given CUPE the opportunity to represent them during a time of significant change at the hospital. We look forward to working together to strengthen our new union and to advocate for quality patient care in Kingston,” said Mike Rodrigues, president, CUPE 1974.
The Hotel Dieu and Kingston General hospitals merged more than a year ago and are now one hospital (KHSC) with two campuses. Under public sector legislation following an integration or merger, staff who do similar work are provided with a chance to vote for the union they want to be represented by in the new workplace said the union.
The benefits of CUPE’s newly ratified four-year contract — negotiated centrally by the union’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) — include a wage increase, comprehensive violence language and the strongest job security protections in the sector. These terms will now be extended to all KHSC employees in the CUPE 1974 bargaining unit, according to CUPE.
