14 April 2025
2 min Read

Lambton nurses: We fight, we win

Two smiling members stop on the sidewalk to pose for camera, one carrying a sign.

Members stop to smile at the camera as they walk the sidewalk outside Lambton Public Health in the lead-up to conciliation last fall.

Members walk the sidewalk carrying flags and signs.

Nurses from Lambton Public Health host an information picket during the lunch hour last October to raise public awareness about their bargaining demands, including fair wages, hours of work and benefits.

We organize, we fight, we win! Lambton Public Health nurses have made that very clear.

In late September 2024, more than 40 nurses at the health unit began negotiating a new collective agreement with their employer. They were demanding fair wages, hours of work and improved benefits, as they were some of the lowest paid nurses in public health. Despite being called heroes throughout the pandemic, their employer was refusing to value and show respect for the care these nurses provide.

Lambton Public Health nurses support 11 municipalities across Lambton County and like other public health units, they run classes and clinics for children, families and elderly people.

“Public health nurses are the first line of defense to keep our communities strong and healthy through illness prevention,” notes ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss. “They’re demanding fair wages and are no longer willing to put themselves and their own welfare last. Nurses need a fair new contract so they can continue providing care to Lambton residents.”

To put pressure on the employer, ONA members organized an information picket to raise awareness about their demands and to call on the public for support. During their action, members of the community were asked to send a letter to the Lambton County councillors, who oversee the public health unit, to demand that they negotiate a fair new contract.

9%

wage increase over three years for nurses at Lambton Public Health.

After many conversations and hundreds of emails, the employer came ready to meet members’ demands. They felt the pressure. That’s how nurses at Lambton Public Health secured a new collective agreement with a 9 per cent wage increase over three years (the employer was originally offering 1.9 per cent). They were also able to lock in language to support work-life balance and saw improvements to their benefits plan.

The nurses strongly believed that their organizing efforts and the community’s support helped push the employer to negotiate a fair contract. They proved that when workers fight for a common good, they win.

Nurses at Lambton Public Health helped pave the way for other public health units in the area who started bargaining shortly after. Now that many have secured new contracts, ONA members will continue to advocate for better funding from the provincial government for public health units so that they can continue to provide the care our communities need and deserve.