Rally held for Essex-Windsor EMS staff

A rally was held outside the Essex County Civic Centre Aug. 5 to support staff with Essex-Windsor EMS. 

A rally was held outside the Essex County administrative offices last Wednesday as an estimated 200 supporters rallied to support the Essex-Windsor EMS paramedics.

Contract negotiations between CUPE Local 2974 have come to a standstill and many of those who attended the rally were upset that talks are not moving forward. A strike date has now been set for Oct. 5 at 12 a.m.

“We are already short medics and short cars. We go into Code Black just one time and it’s too much,” said retired trauma nurse Darlene Dessario of LaSalle.

Code Black is when there are no ambulances available in the region and it occurred at least once very recently.

Forty years ago, Dessario trained to be a paramedic in Amherstburg and her signs including those on her car got a lot of attention.

“I am doing this to support my brothers and sisters,” she said.

CUPE 2974 represents 340 paramedics who have been without a contract since May 8.

While supporters, including those from Unifor, rallied out on the front lawn, union president James Jovanovic was inside trying to hammer out a deal with the county.

“The support is overwhelming. I walked out of the building a little frustrated trying to process what just happened and saw the support,” he said.

An Essential Ambulance Service Agreement was approved last month by the Ontario Labour Relations Board that could lead to a 20 per cent service reduction.

Jovanovich told reporters that the union had moved substantially from their previous position in order to get a deal reached last Wednesday.

“We tried to move on the sticking points to get a deal done today. Not only did they counter with a deal that’s not agreeable, but they’ve reversed course on one of the two key items of negotiations that they previously agreed to since Day 2 of bargaining,” he alleged.

According to Jovanovic, he claims the county is not agreeing to the decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).

“The county is in receipt of the OLRB ruling and parameters in that ruling are currently being incorporated into an agreement,” said Essex County CAO Sandra Zwiers after last Wednesday’s regular council meeting.

During the rally, several county councillors, including Warden Hilda MacDonald mingled and spoke with the supporters.

It seems, according to Zwiers, just exactually what the agreement would be if a strike goes ahead, is yet to be determined.

“The two parties, the county and the union are discussing how to finalize that agreement. Those discussions are on-going. We don’t yet have a finalized EASA. We are working towards an agreement being respectful of the OLRB ruling.”

CUPE 2974 voted 100 per cent in favour of strike action and the service says it is short 50 paramedics to meet the needs of residents.

Asked how the moral of the paramedics is, Jovanovic said, “they are frustrated. There is daily down staffing of ambulances. We haven’t met our targets in nearly a decade for response.”

“Everyone is hopeful calmer heads will prevail and I’m hoping for that as well.”

The union is seeking fair wages in parity with fire and police and benefits that recognize paramedics as essential first responders. There is also a lot of support for increased recruitment and retention and burnout prevention.

Jovanovic said if they do go on strike, it will be the first one in the union’s history.

Rally held for Essex-Windsor EMS staff

By Fred Groves