Become a Member

ONA is a member-led movement and Canada’s largest nurses’ union, with over 50 years of experience in bargaining, advocacy and empowering nurses and health-care professionals.

Becoming a member strengthens ONA’s collective power, with more than 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, and 18,000 nursing student affiliates across the province working in hospitals, nursing homes, home care, communities, public health, clinics, industry settings, family health teams, and community health centres.

As an ONA member you have a strong voice and active role in our democratic process and at every level of our union, from Local to provincial.

You have powerful representation, coverage by a Legal Expenses Assistance Plan, malpractice insurance, and access to high quality services in education, professional practice, occupational health and safety and much more.

Become an ONA member and have the protection and support you need in your workplace.

RN Informational Pamphlet

Health-Care Professionals Informational Pamphlet

Why Join

A union is formed in a workplace when workers agree to speak to their employer with one strong, collective voice. Together, you are part of a professional team your employer must listen to. The conditions of your employment – including wages, benefits and working conditions – are negotiated between relatively equal parties.

As a nurses’ and health-care professionals’ union, we devote all our resources to advancing your interests. We bring expertise in representing and assisting our members in the following areas:

• Bargaining and negotiating collective agreements, where ONA leads the health-care sector for wages and working conditions.
• Handling grievances and arbitrations, where we've achieved many wins.
• At licensing body hearings, such as the College of Nurses of Ontario.
• Providing access to our valued education programs, professional practice specialists, human rights and equity team, health and safety specialists, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board experts and much more.
• Through the ONA Benefits Program. Our coverage provides base long-term disability for members not covered through their employer. All members have critical illness coverage in the event of a life-threatening event.
• Giving access to our legal assistance (LEAP) and malpractice programs that assist our members with legal and/or regulatory body issues.

How to Join

The most important thing you can do to start the process of joining our union is to complete an ONA Membership Card. When at least 40 per cent of employees sign this card, ONA submits an application to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. A week later a vote is held. We become the legal representative of your group of employees when 50 per cent plus one of the votes are in favour.

You can contact our organizing team for instructions on where to find the card and how to submit.

According to the Labour Relations Act, your employer will not know whether you have signed an organizing card. You cannot be fired, disciplined or treated differently for participating in union activity. You are exercising your democratic right.