Over 100 paramedics from Local 303 in Simcoe County held a flashmob on Thursday morning calling for a fair contract. Participants brought donations to the local food bank and handed out hundreds of flyers to passersby. After an hour and a half outdoors, the flashmob moved inside to the Council Chamber, where the masses of orange t-shirts made their presence felt.
“We are asking Simcoe County Services to live up to their core values including stewardship, leadership and integrity,” said OPSEU President, Smokey Thomas. “These are dedicated workers who provide highly skilled services in their community. They deserve a fair contract.”
“The counselors who didn’t know what was going on with paramedics in Simcoe County certainly know today,” said Local President and OPSEU Ambulance Division Executive Vice-Chair, Carl Eichenberger. “There is great solidarity in our local, and that was very evident at today’s event.”
Simcoe County paramedics have been without a contract since the end of 2009, and currently earn $7.47 less per hour than paramedics in Durham Region. They are currently the lowest paid of all EMS services that border Simcoe County.
In addition, since 2004 the part-time paramedics have been paying twice as much for their pension as they should have due to a simple payroll error. Although the employer is aware of this error, they have refused to fix it
Over 100 paramedics from Local 303 in Simcoe County held a flashmob on Thursday morning calling for a fair contract. Participants brought donations to the local food bank and handed out hundreds of flyers to passersby. After an hour and a half outdoors, the flashmob moved inside to the Council Chamber, where the masses of orange t-shirts made their presence felt.
“We are asking Simcoe County Services to live up to their core values including stewardship, leadership and integrity,” said OPSEU President, Smokey Thomas. “These are dedicated workers who provide highly skilled services in their community. They deserve a fair contract.”
“The counselors who didn’t know what was going on with paramedics in Simcoe County certainly know today,” said Local President and OPSEU Ambulance Division Executive Vice-Chair, Carl Eichenberger. “There is great solidarity in our local, and that was very evident at today’s event.”
Simcoe County paramedics have been without a contract since the end of 2009, and currently earn $7.47 less per hour than paramedics in Durham Region. They are currently the lowest paid of all EMS services that border Simcoe County.
In addition, since 2004 the part-time paramedics have been paying twice as much for their pension as they should have due to a simple payroll error. Although the employer is aware of this error, they have refused to fix it