THUNDER BAY — Just two and a half years after they ended a bitter, protracted strike against the doctors who employ them, staff at the Port Arthur Health Centre will vote this week on whether to stick with their union.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board has ordered a vote on the decertification of Unifor as the collective bargaining agent for the workers.
Under provincial legislation, a vote must be ordered if an application is filed with the OLRB at a time when at least 40 per cent of members of a bargaining unit "appear to have expressed a wish" not to be represented by a trade union.
The board is then required to conduct a formal, supervised vote.
It's scheduled to be conducted online over a 24-hour period starting at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
If more than 50 per cent of the ballots are cast in opposition to the union, the OLRB will order that Unifor no longer represents the employees in the bargaining unit.
In April 2018, about 65 workers at the clinic went on strike for over four months before they agreed to a new collective agreement with management.
Andy Savela, the health care director for Unifor, said he's confident a majority of the current staff will vote to stay with the union.
He said the membership just last month ratified a new contract that provides for "a lot of good enhancements" and wage increases of four per cent over three years.
"Since we organized this unit 11 years ago, you never have 100 per cent support, but we've always been able to get the support of a majority," Savela added.
