“Our 65 members have been without a contract for more than 14 months,” said X-Ray Technologist Al Saydak of CUPE Local 1550. “The skills required for our work at HSC is greater than at other city hospitals, yet were the lowest paid X-Ray Technologists in all of Canada. We believe a good wage increase is the only way people are going to remain in this field and in this province.”
Negotiations are stalled over wages and pay for Technologists on call. The X-Ray Technologists want the same wage increases as nurses - 5%, 3% and 3%. Technologists rates of pay used to be on par with nurses but have fallen behind. The HSC refuses to offer more than 3%, 2% and 2%.
“A Technologist here could move two hours away to Kenora and make $3 to $4 an hour more because Ontario pays the same wages as nurses,” Saydak said. “Our members are frustrated by seeing our work demands increase while wages continue to fall behind.
Saydak says the HSC is finding it difficult to fill vacancies and patient waiting lists will worsen as one in five Technologists soon becomes eligible to retire.
For more information, contact:
Al Saydak, Vice-President CUPE Local 1550
Work: (204) 787-3241
Nicole Campbell, CUPE National Representative
Office: (204) 942-0343
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