Paramedics are not considered an essential service

[DaSharkie]

MEDICS NOW IN SHORT SUPPLY

Copyright 2002 Sun Media Corporation
The Toronto Sun...06/27/2002

ROB LAMBERTI AND ZEN RURYK, TORONTO SUN

The strike by city workers means 25% fewer ambulances on the road than usual.

A Metro Ambulance worker who didn't want to be named said yesterday it will take crews longer to answer calls.

Paramedics are not considered an essential service, and a labour board ruling allowed for a quarter of the medics to be idle during the dispute, reducing daytime operations to 75 ambulances, 37 during the night shift. That reduction would have been critical during a one-hour period yesterday morning.

Between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., about 20 Toronto ambulances were needed to deal with the double-fatal accident at Birchmount Rd. and Eglinton Ave. with seven patients; another accident in the west end with eight patients; a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome call and a violent domestic attack in which a woman's neck was slashed and a man tried to kill himself.


NINE NEEDED
The double-fatal crash alone required nine ambulances.

"If this happened with the walkout after noon, we would have been screwed and tattooed," an ambulance worker said yesterday.

He said the critically ill or injured will get priority; others will have to wait longer.

In the event of a catastrophic emergency, the Ontario Labour Relations Board has ruled the city can deploy all the ambulance personnel needed.

According to the board, 150 paramedics must work between 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, but city officials have said there are usually about 200 paramedics on duty. Only 100 paramedics are required on weekends between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

An ambulance spokesman said there are usually about 120 paramedics on duty then. There must be 75 ambulance workers on duty every day of the week between 7 p.m.-7 a.m.

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I read this article and was astonished to read that a community and / or it labor board does not cinsider the position of Paramedic essential. This just boggles my mind. I'm sure it is essential to the person that is dialing 9-1-1 because their husband or wife is having the big one, or their child has been hit by a car.

Once again, the stupidity of people can still surprise me.

[IAMedic]

I read that too Da Sharkie, but it doesn't sound like the City of Toronto's fault. Although, I could be very wrong...so don't beat me up too bad. It sounds like the Medics wanted out of the Labor Union's clause of being "non-essential" along with the other public employees because they knew of the possibility of the strike this week. But the Union will not let them out of the clause because it gives them leverage for the strike.

If this is the case, it litterally makes me sick that the union would manipulate the City, the citizens and EMS personnel like this just to get make their point and to use them as "leverage".

If I am wrong, somebody, PLEASE CORRECT ME!!! Because this is disgusting and if I ever had to be wrong about an opinion, I hope it about this Labor Union!!

[littlemissemt]

Paramedics are not considered an esential service?! Wait a min, that is a load of you-know-what. Paramedics are essential to the safety of the public, just as essential as LEOs and FFs.

[LadyCapn]

It's a very loooooooooooong involved story!!!
There is no Ambulance service in the Province of Ontario that is considered an essential service. They have always had "the right to strike" and there have actually been numerous strikes where all service has been withdrawn. Service was provided by scabs and management from other services. A few years ago, the current Provincial government enacted an "essential services clause" when dealing with labour disruption. Essentially, in the event of a legal strike "essential services" must be maintained, in other words enough people have to work in order to provide enough coverage for emergency calls. Transfers are not considered essential. Therefore......X number of people must be on shift at any given time. These people can be rotated etc. Now heres the kicker. In some areas, even though you are working as an "essential" that day, up to 40% of your wages go to cover strike pay for those who aren't working. After all, you are still legally on strike even though you are working.

As for the Toronto issue, this is popping up all over Ontario since the Provincial government downloaded to the Municipalities. Many Municipalities have exclusivity clauses in their contracts, so that only one union will represent all city workers. Police and Fire normally have their own affiliations. CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees)therefore represents all inside and outside workers. Paramedics have argued for years that they need either their own Association or a stand alone bargaining unit as often their concerns are not addressed or fully understood by the membership. They are also usually a small portion of the union membership. However, in order for Paramedics to form their own Association, they must be "voted out" by members of CUPE. As you can see by the Toronto situation, no one is anxious to let them go. So, the Paramedics are used as pawns to push for a settlement.

:rolleyes:

[IAMedic]

Thanks LadyCapn for enlightning us on your situation. I feel for you, your comrades, and the citizens. So this pretty much directly affects facility to facility transfers and not emergency service??