Facing high workloads, low pay, and an employer that refused to deal with any of their concerns, the Pharmacy Professionals at St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay have voted unanimously to unite their voices by joining OPSEU/SEFPO.
“Working in a hospital is always challenging. But with chronic under investment and the growing spectre of privatization, it’s especially challenging these days,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. “I’m always happy and inspired when I hear about a group of workers coming together in a union, and I’m especially proud that the St. Joe’s Pharmacy Professionals have chosen so decisively to join together in OPSEU/SEFPO.
“Thank you for putting your trust in each other and in our union. It was an act of courage that will make your working lives better and improve the quality of care that you’re able to provide.”
The new OPSEU/SEFPO members work at St. Joseph’s as Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, and Pharmacy Assistants. They are the second group of hospital Pharmacy Professionals in Thunder Bay to join OPSEU/SEFPO — the Pharmacy Professionals at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital are also members of the union.
“I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members,” said Sara Labelle, the chair of OPSEU/SEFPO’s Hospital Professionals Division (HPD). “Our union is the voice for 28,000 hospital professionals all across the province, and we’re now even stronger. Together, we’ll force employers to begin dealing with the growing list of issues preventing us from providing the best care we can provide.”