Media Advisory - Nurses, Health-Care Professionals and Staff from Rapids Family Health Team to Hold Information Pickets

SARNIA, ON, June 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Nurses, health-care professionals and other staff from the Rapids Family Health Team will be holding two information pickets this week in Sarnia.

The 48 staff – members of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) – have been seeking to negotiate a respectful new collective agreement with their employer and are soon heading into conciliation talks in an attempt to avoid being forced to withdraw their services. The services they provide range from primary care to special respiratory clinics that keep people out of the emergency department. They have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and expect the dedication, skills and value they bring to the community to be recognized and rewarded. They have been without a contract since the end of 2022. Any withdrawal of services would increase the workloads for Sarnia-area hospitals as patients would no longer have access to primary care or the large range of health-care services available at this facility.

Information pickets will be up and running during the workers' lunch hour on Tuesday (12:00 noon to 1 p.m.) and again 4:30 to 5:30 pm at the Pontiac Drive site of Rapids Family Health Team. A second information picket will be held on Thursday during those same hours. The group will speak with members of the community and are seeking their support. Conciliation talks will begin in early July in an attempt to reach a deal.

WHO:	Nurses, health-care professionals and Rapids Family Health Team staff
WHAT:	Information pickets
WHEN/WHERE:	Tuesday, June 27 from 12:00 to 12:30, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, 1150 Pontiac
	Drive, Sarnia; Thursday, June 29 from 12:00 to 12:30, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, 481 London Road, Sarnia, ON

ONA is the union representing 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as more than 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics, and industry.

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

To arrange an interview, contact: Ontario Nurses' Association, [email protected]