Chatham-Kent paramedics strike over wages and insurance premium payments

Saskia Vandersluis says she and her striking EMS coworkers in Chatham-Kent need higher wages and for their employer to cover their long-term disability premiums. 

For 15 years, Vandersluis has been a primary care paramedic.

Vandersluis says their long-term insurance at work is currently covered by the employees, and proposed wage increases don’t fall in line with the rate of inflation.

“Currently, they’re 100 per cent paid by the employees. So that’s a big chunk out of our weekly pay and less,” she said.

EMS paramedics in Chatham-Kent went on strike at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Chatham-Kent EMS is operated by Medavie Health Services.

A spokesperson for service provider Medavie Health Services said service levels will “remain the same” despite statements from union officials and Medavie indicating some non-emergency services will pause.

“Chatham-Kent EMS service levels will remain the same and there will be no impacts to emergency calls,” said Caitlin Ferguson, communications director with Medavie Health Services. “Services such as non-urgent transfers and community paramedicine will resume after the strike.”

Ferguson said there will be no impact to 911 call service.

Paramedics voted in favour of a strike during an April membership meeting. 

“We want our community to know that the safety and access to high-quality care remains our top priority,” Ferguson said.

“We have contingency plans and essential service agreements with SEIU Local 1 and our health care partners in place to maintain paramedic service delivery in the right place, at the right time.”

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 represents the paramedics in the municipality.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local representative Laurie Chapman says the most recent three-year contract offer was deemed “unacceptable” by members. 

It included a 1.5 per cent pay raise in the first year, according to Chapman, with the second and third years incorporating “altered” premiums.

Chapman says her members currently pay $6,000 in insurance premiums each year and want Medavie to pick up the tab — along with a three per cent pay increase in year one.

“And it’s not just in keeping with inflation, with the cost of living right now,” said Chapman. “It’s just not enough to sustain them, especially when on top of that they are paying $6,000 a year individually for insurance premiums. So any increase that they get in wages is taken up by that insurance premium that they have to pay.”

Chapman says legislation mandates their paramedics offer certain services, however, they’re not required to do things like wash the outsides of their work vehicles or do non-urgent patient transfers.

Ferguson says Medavie felt the agreement that was voted down by the union last month was “fair and equitable,” and “aligned with comparable” paramedic service collective agreements.

“We encourage our community to please continue to call 911 in the event of an emergency, we will be there to provide the high-quality care needed.”

Chapman says Medavie has made application for arbitration — and her union has 10 days to respond.