Clinic negotiations to resume tomorrow, staff poised to go on strike

After failed contract negotiations last month between Fort Frances Community Clinic management and members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 65.08, bargaining teams will meet with a conciliator tomorrow to try to come to an agreement.
On June 26, the 16 full and part-time female workers at the clinic voted 100 percent in favour of striking, leading up to tomorrow’s meeting.
“And if we don’t get a settlement, we will ask for a ‘no board,’ which will put
us in a strike (or lock out) position the week of July 28,” said Danny
Scheibli, CUPE national representative.
“Our main problem is that our members have not received the kinds of wage
increases and benefit packages they should have since this was a privately
operated facility,” added Scheibli.
Although there has been possible strike talk, Fort Frances Community Clinic administrator Marlis Bruyere said management is confident an agreement will be reached.
“We’re sitting down to work out a deal and I’m sure a deal will come out of it,” she said yesterday afternoon.
In order to keep the clinic locally and publicly operated, and on behalf
of the community, the Town of Fort Frances contributed a $1 million interest-free loan so that the privately run doctor’s clinic could be converted to a
community-based clinic under the Family Health Team model under the Ministry of Health.
“The community deserves this health facility and our members
deserve a fair wage and benefit package for the work they do,” Scheibli
said.
Currently CUPE 65.08 members lag far behind other CUPE health care
workers in Fort Frances in wages—upwards of $5/hour in some cases, and
benefits, pensions, pregnancy, parental and jury duty leave and vacation time.
“Our members have suffered substandard wages and working conditions for
too long, with the clinic operating well, now is the time to begin to narrow
the difference between our members and other health care workers and to bring a degree of comparability to the Fort Frances Community Clinic workers,” said Scheibli.
“Our members are proud of the job we do, proud to be part of the
community clinic and proud to serve our community,” said Cathy Tucker, unit
chair for CUPE 65.08.
“We want to stay on the job and continue to serve our community, but we must have a fair settlement, we have gone far too long with second-rate wages and benefits—we deserve what others get,” she added.