Ontario Nurses' Association

Organizing your workplace with ONA

If you are a Registered Nurse in an Ontario facility that is not currently unionized, ONA has much to offer you. We proudly represent Registered Nurses in all sectors across the province. You want and deserve consistent, fair and reasonable working conditions. You may currently enjoy only a few of the rights and privileges obtained by our members. Why not enjoy them all?

To find out more about organizing your workplace with ONA

Find out what Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) can do for you as a registered nurse. For information on our services and programs, and how you can organize your group, talk privately to one of the following staff members from the ONA Recruitment and Retention Team. Your conversations will be held in strict confidence.

• Drop off your organizing card.
• ONA representatives will be available to answer your questions.

What can you do?
The most important thing you can do is complete an Organizing Membership Card. (.pdf format requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). Print the card, complete it and return as instructed on page 2. You can not complete the form online.

Becoming unionized is a majority decision
When employees in a workplace express interest in joining a union, union representatives will meet and discuss the process with them. The Ontario Labour Relations Act states that if at least 40 per cent of the employees sign union membership cards, the union can submit an application for certification to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB). The OLRB holds a secret ballot vote at the workplace one week later.

The union is successful if 50 per cent plus one of the employees who cast a ballot votes in favour of the union. The union then becomes certified to represent that employee group, or bargaining unit, and will begin the process of negotiating a first collective agreement, or contract.

Your decision is private
The law protects the secrecy of the card signer and the vote. Your employer will not know whether or not you have signed a membership card. As well, the OLRB vote is a secret ballot, like provincial and federal elections. A Labour Board officer conducts the vote, and ensures that there is no interference or intimidation from either the union or the employer.

You can't be fired for joining a union
The law gives you the right to join and be represented by a union. An employer may not change the way it treats an employee because you engage in union activity. This means your employer cannot cut your hours of work, discipline you or fire you, or discriminate against you in any other way because you decide to join the union. Employers are, however, permitted to run their business as they have in the past.

Joining a union brings definite benefits
A union brings the strength of a group to the relationship with the employer. When you deal with an employer on your own, you usually have to accept the pay, benefits and working conditions that your employer offers. If the employer treats you unfairly, you often have no recourse.

As a member of a union, you are part of a collective that has much more bargaining power. And the rules are the same for everyone.

If you feel you are not being treated fairly, the union may be able to take action on your behalf. If the employer has not met the terms of the collective agreement, the union may file a grievance, a formal procedure that begins the process of discussing and dealing with problems. If grievances cannot be resolved, they may go to arbitration.

ONA Dues
The services that ONA provides are funded by the dues that members pay. Dues are not deducted until your collective agreement is signed. Thereafter they are paid once a month through payroll deductions. Most of your dues are tax deductible.

ONA members decide at our biennial conventions on the dues structure, the amount of dues and how they are spent.

ONA members pay a flat rate based on their hourly rate of pay. The rates as of January 1, 2008 are as follows:

How dues are allocated
Where does the money go?

• Local portion $11.00
• Operating $50.25
• Supplemental fund $2.00
• Legal Expense Assistance Plan (LEAP) $2.50
• HIV/Long-term disability $2.50

ONA represents its members interests in the workplace
ONA negotiates collective agreements and makes sure the provisions of those agreements are adhered to.

A collective agreement sets out rights and responsibilities of the employer and of the employees. It contains clauses that deal with such things as wages, benefits, working conditions and professional responsibility.

ONA negotiates a province-wide (central) collective agreement for most of its hospital-based RNs. It also negotiates a central agreement for members in nursing homes and some homes for the aged. In addition, local bargaining units negotiate agreements that supplement the central agreements and address such issues as scheduling.

ONA is responsible for enforcing the collective agreements it bargains. A member who believes that she or he has been treated unfairly, and that the provisions of the collective agreement have not been met, may file a grievance. ONA staff and locally elected leaders represent members in their dealings with the employer. If a grievance cannot be solved, ONA may represent members at arbitration. ONA also represent its members before the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

ONA is a trade union that cares about professionalism
The professional responsibility clause in the collective agreements that ONA negotiates provides members with the tools to address issues related to their ability to practice at a high standard. ONA's local leaders, professional practice specialists and labour relations officers help members put the provisions of these clauses into effect.

Most ONA members don't have the right to strike
ONA members working in hospitals and long-term care facilities do not have the right to strike. When agreements cannot be settled at the bargaining table, they are sent to arbitration. The arbitrator's decision is binding on both the union and the employer.

ONA members working in public health and community settings do have the right to strike, although the vast majority of agreements are settled without members taking strike action.

ONA speaks out for health care
ONA is the public voice for nurses and allied health workers. ONA leaders work hard for improvements in nursing and in health care. We speak out for our members and our patients.

ONA advocates for standards of practice and other professional issues at the College of Nurses of Ontario , the licensing and regulatory body for Ontario nurses.

ONA lobbies elected officials and government staff on a variety of health care issues. ONA leaders serve on joint committees with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Hospital Association and other nursing organizations. The goal is to find mutually acceptable solutions to common and persistant health-care issues.

ONA is a member of a number of public interest groups and support their work in protecting our publicly owned and administered health care system.

ONA makes representation to board of inquiry and public commissions such as the Romanow Commission on the future of health care in Canada.

So, take some time to see what ONA has to offer. Join ONA today...