In addition to Central Bargaining, where SEIU Healthcare and CUPE bargain renewal of your collective agreements with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), there is Local Bargaining where each bargaining unit bargains renewal of the Local Collective Agreement.
Your agreement allows for a seven (7) member Local Bargaining Committee. There are eight (8) nominees, which means you have to vote for seven (7) members to join your committee.
Your committee will be advocating for you and your colleagues. They will be your voice at the bargaining table – representing all of Sunnybrook Hospital’s service workers and bringing forth your workplace’s issues and concerns.
To vote for your Bargaining Committee, please fill in the form below. Please submit your vote before Friday, February 25, 2021, at 12:00 p.m.
Here’s how to vote!
- Below, you can read the remarks that your nominees submitted.
- You will then vote for up to seven members for your bargaining committee.
- You can only vote once.
- The seven nominees who receive the most votes will be your bargaining committee.
- Voting closes on: Friday, February 25, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.
Good luck to all the nominees!
Ken Zapounidis
The reason that I would like to be on the CBA is, the PSPs in the operating room do not want to be recognized as PSPs as our job is more strenuous, more detail oriented and more technical than the floor PSPs.
We used to be classified as SSA's ( Surgical suite assistants )before 2006 when the hospital changed our job title and dropped our wage but not our job duties.
Also, we would like to have an increase in our wage seeing as we were on a higher wage scale when we were SSA's than the floor PSPs before 2006.
My colleagues would like me to be there to properly represent us in the OR.
Tanya Rahim-Juttlah – RPN
My name is Tanya Rahim-Juttlah.
As a Registered Practical Nurse(RPN) of 23 years, I've seen much to improve in LTC, nursing, patient and worker fairness, improvement in healthcare justice and worker's rights. This led me to two terms as a nurse steward within my workplace and my first term as SEIU Healthcare's Nursing Division Executive Board Representative for Region 4. I am a delegate to the Durham Region Labour Council for SEIU Healthcare and a member of the SEIU Labour Council. Now, after a temporary run with DRLC, I will serve my first full term as a DRLC Member-at-large on the executive board. The committees I've served on over the years are Nursing Week Planning, Nursing Council, VC Safety Committee for several years. I participate in rallies and other political actions for healthcare, nurses, International Women's Day, worker's rights and more.
Last bargaining season, I was on the local bargaining committee and learned of the great disappointment in our employer in their refusal to protect us, respect us and pay us appropriately. Especially with Bill 124 hanging over us, the provincial government and the Ontario Hospital Association. Even so, our employer could have chosen to still honour us with fair and equitable increases in our pay instead of only 1% that doesn't even keep up with inflation. They could have chosen to remove caps on our benefits like the massage therapy $7 per session and giving us a benefits card to go to any pharmacy convenient to us and not have to pay out of our pockets instead of only being able to do this at the employer pharmacy which the employer benefits from.
It's time for our employer to respect us, protect us and pay us appropriately. It's time for them to bargain fairly with us. Right now, Sunnybrook can't keep employees because they're not one of the higher-paying employers. Things need to change...it's time. In fact, it's overdue.
I'd like to be on the bargaining committee to continue to help make this happen for all of us.
Sara Abbu-Middin – EVS
Who am I? I am a Sunnybrooker, and an SEIU Healthcare member.
I am an ESP (Environmental Service Partner), a frontline worker, an SEIU steward, and also a team leader. I have been working as a part-timer for six years now, and as a team leader, I am entrusted with a master key. I'm everywhere, I've seen plenty. I listen. I hear what you tell me, look into it and I pass it along.
We do not need stress in the workplace. We want to see action, not empty words.
Some of my proud moments at Sunnybrook include; being the Employee Chair of Environmental Health and Safety Committee, getting JHSC certified by the Ministry of Labour and Training, and recently, our Committee winning the Merlyn Award for teamwork. I am an active member of PART (Presidential Anti-Racism Taskforce), am engaged with SEIU's Social Justice Capacity Building, and committed to addressing inequities in healthcare.
I am a proud member of the Wellness Committee. We take care of the patients and their families/friends. We are here for the community, but first, we must take care of ourselves, and each other.
You come first. Always.
What do we want to bring to the Bargaining Table?
Plenty, my friend. Rest assure. We are talking about Pay Equity. If you have something on your mind, please chat with me. We are talking about Respect. Respect and dignity for one and all. We strive to be safe and healthy - mind and body alike. The bargaining table is our opportunity to negotiate and reach mutual agreements. I am skilled in this matter. Speak to me.
Please vote for me so I can bring forwards our issues to the bargaining table.
Maricel Malimban – Phlebotomist
I'm Maricel Malimban, working for nine months as Medical Laboratory Assistant Technician – Phlebotomist, representing, Phlebotomy - Specimen Collection Center Department. Honestly, working at Sunnybrook Hospital is a dream come true for me.
I see and heard all the grievances, frustrations in our jobs – unfair salary, over workload, short hours and no benefits for part-timers, and no one will listen to their concerns. They feel left behind because the union doesn't do anything for them - that is why I choose to stand and fight for them - I need to be so that I can make a difference!
I understand that to be part of the Bargaining Committee is an Honour, Privilege and big responsibility. I want to raise the awareness of courage, belief, respect and unity as one.
Courage – Every employee needs to learn to speak up and voice their concerns are. If they feel tired of over workload with less pay the employer should know. To learn and fight for their rights as an employee.
Believe – They need to believe that our union is constantly advocating for us, and they are not left behind. Union fights for the rights of their members and aims to level the playing field for all workers by giving them a voice, negotiating good collective agreements and lobbying government standards.
Respect – The employer needs to respect their employee and union as well – SEIU has the exclusive right to bargain on behalf of the employees it represents. The employer should not pass the union in every new Job Classification they intended to do so. We want our employers to recognize and respect all the hard work we put into our jobs each day!
United as One – If every employee will support each other, voice out and used our union properly, for sure we will meet our success and positive outcome on what we are fighting for. That is why "DON'T BE AFRAID TO PARTICIPATE AND VOICE OUT" to our union so that they will help and find a better solution for us in the process.
I am ready, not afraid to speak up, bring all concerns from our department and first-hand experience to the bargaining table. I want to remind everyone to stand together united! Together we stand, divided we fall.
Aleksandra Jozwiak – RPN
My name is Aleks, and I have been a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Sunnybrook's operating room for 11 years. One of the reasons I enjoy the operating room so much is the overall team effort and collaboration with the surgical team, anesthesia, RNs, PSP, porters, ESP and many others.
The challenges we face are that there is a small group of RPNs in the operating room and our position and scope of practice are different. We work in this collaborative team to ensure the proper sterility and safety of each patient coming in for surgery. We are also required to be on call on our weekends off between shifts in case there are emergencies and staffing shortages.
I want to be a part of the bargaining committee to ensure that our many scheduling changes over the 11 years I have worked at Sunnybrook are fair and we need to address current and future workplace complaints in the department. Our new contract needs to reflect all the hard work we have been doing all throughout Covid 19.
Elisa Maesa
EVS
Janice Chin
MDRC
Vinod Jogie
EVS