NIAGARA AREA – Niagara area hospital workers will make presentations at the public hearing on Bill 8 on Thursday, February 26th, 2004 held by the Standing Committee on Justice and Social Policy of the Ontario Legislature. They plan to present how the legislation introduced by the Liberals - the so-called Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act – will undermine our public health care system through the unprecedented powers it grants the provincial government to restructure, privatize and contract-out public health care operations and services to private corporations.
Who: Steve Palmer, President 7100, Hotel St. Dieu (St.Kitts) Juanita Maldonado, President CUPE 4800 Henry Bosch, Area 2 VP, OCHU
What: Niagara area hospital worker presentations on Bill 8 to Standing Committee on Justice & Social Policy
Where: Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, 6400 Lundy’s Lane
When: Thursday, February 26, 2004 10:40 am – Steve Palmer 2:10 pm – Juanita Maldonado 2:40 pm – Henry Bosch (entire hearing runs from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm)
A text copy of the presentation to the Standing Committee, as well as details of the campaign against Bill 8 can also be found at http://www.cupe.ca/www/bill8campaign
CUPE Local 7100 represents over 530 RPNs, nurses’ aids, and other hospital workers including 200 paramedics serving the entire Niagara region.
CUPE 4800 represents 3,500 service and trade employees at Hamilton Health Sciences.
Both locals are members of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), representing over 27,000 hospital workers in over 80 hospitals in the province. They have held meetings to discuss and adopt a strategy to challenge Bill 8 and its negative consequences for public health care, patient care and jobs in the sector.
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For more information, please contact:
Diane Kalen, CUPE Communications, c: (647) 224-0662