ST. THOMAS, WOODSTOCK, ON, March 19, 2025 – In the midst of trying to get a worsening measles outbreak under control, nurses from Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) are headed to conciliation on March 20, trying to reach a fair new contract. The nurses, members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), are negotiating for better wages and respect from their employer.
“It’s ludicrous that nurses have to go to conciliation to get the respectful wage increases they need – especially now as their valuable work has never been so needed by their community,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “Every one of them deserves respect and recognition for their work from this employer.”
SWPH nurses provide clinics, health services, health policy, outbreak management and home visits for children, families and older adults. These nurses support over 200,000 residents of all ages in Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas.
Ariss adds that SWPH has withheld money that could have been spent on front-line nurses; instead, the CEO’s salary was increased by 45.4 per cent, while nurses’ salaries increased by just 7.4 per cent over five years, while living expenses and inflation have soared.
“Budget decisions are all about priorities,” says Ariss. “We question the priorities of this health unit and urge them to come to conciliation with proposals that recognize the gravity of the care these nurses provide. The people in the communities they serve are counting on it.”
ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
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