Retiree key to OHaH campaign success

More than one-thousand, in fact.

“I thought of this as giving back to ONA and nursing,” she says of the two weeks spent on that campaign earlier this year, necessitated after the Ford government ordered the province’s 14 OHaH branches, represented by several unions, to merge into a single entity under Ontario Health. “It was fun for me and I felt good about playing a role.”

Always doing something 

Then again, Hanifa, who came to Canada 52 years ago, is used to staying busy, having worked in hospitals, nursing homes, correctional institutions, public health, universities, forensics and as an educator.

“I worked in one area and thought, what can I do next to challenge myself in a different position?” says Hanifa, who has been an ONA member since the 1970s and once served on her Local executive. “I would go back and do leadership training, take ONA education or specialize in an area like psychiatry. I was always doing something. That was the foundation built by my parents, who instilled in me service to the community and respect for labour.” 

So, it’s no surprise that Hanifa, who worked well into her seventies and jokes she has retired at least six times, was very excited to learn about ONA’s Retiree Network, launched last year to engage retired members in the work of our union, including the OHaH campaign.

“I missed not being a member and having that voice,” she says. “It was always about that passion for nursing. Plus, I had my own personal experiences with difficult situations over the years. I was undermined because there weren’t many visible minorities to begin with. I didn’t know how to tackle that and felt isolated. ONA helped me. Even with my retirement, I didn’t know all the ins and outs, and ONA helped with that too. I have benefited from ONA a lot.”

Through the Retiree Network, she participated in ONA’s Nurses Vote campaign during the last provincial election and attended our all-out hospital bargaining rally last year. Joining the OHaH campaign seemed like a natural progression.

“Because of my experience and skills, I thought I could help,” notes Hanifa, adding she has never given up her college registration and continues to receive emails from several nursing organizations, including ONA. “I believe in giving back, and this is giving back to nursing. Activism is inside me. I’m not the most knowledgeable, but I read as much as I can on ONA and the labour movement, so I know what’s happening. And I have kept up with technology, which is a basic life skill these days. So, I wasn't scared to do this.”

Very receptive 

When the OHaH merger was announced, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled that the more than 8,000 workers impacted would be divided into two Bargaining Units: a professional one representing around 6,000 workers and a clerical/support one of approximately 2,000 workers. And so, the campaign focused on reaching out to every one of those workers, including through phone banks staffed by volunteers, to talk about how ONA is the best health-care sector union that isn’t afraid to take on tough fights.

After training from ONA staff on how speak to those OHaH workers on the phone, which included a script that Hanifa refined, she got work.

“People answering the phone are on a change of shift, just leaving for work or coming home. They’re preparing supper. They’re taking their kids to school or events. They only have a few seconds, and I needed to make use of that time. I gave them the maximum mandatory information in the shortest time possible.”

She notes they were generally very receptive to her, especially after she told them she was a retired nurse. Because she worked for decades and studied the information, including ONA collective agreements, beforehand, she also had a good idea of the kinds of questions that would be asked and knew most of the answers. If there was a question she couldn’t answer, she committed to finding out and calling back.

“Mostly, they were asking about benefits,” she explains, adding she tried to put a personal touch on each call. “Some were worried about job security. Others said they wanted to make sure they were choosing a good union. I didn’t have to make up a story because I know what ONA is and what I experienced. I could be myself because I like to tell the truth.”

While she was able to catch many people at home, for those who didn’t answer, she left a brief message, giving them the link to ONA’s dedicated OHaH webpage.

When the two weeks were over, she had logged 1,036 calls and helped ONA win the vote for the professional Bargaining Unit.

Onboard

Hanifa states she enjoyed this work so much, she has encouraged her fellow retirees to overcome any discomfort and fears they may have, including around technology, and volunteer for future campaigns. And “many have said they will try.”

But it’s not just retirees and campaigns. Hanifa would like to see ONA members of all ages and backgrounds become active in the union.

“I encourage them to do so long before they retire,” she laughs. “We need to bring them onboard and tap into different ways to engage and involve them without sacrificing their family time. They’re busy and they’re struggling. But knowing our mission, vision and strategic plan, having our voices heard and being involved in different things actually energizes people.”

As for Hanifa, who also sits on a steering committee for the Ontario Children, Adolescent and Inpatient Psychiatric Services, she has no plans of slowing down. In fact, because of this experience, she has become an active member of Region 4’s Regional Political Action Committee and has already brought along another fellow Retiree Network member.

“Other events are coming up, both for ONA and my community,” she notes. “As long as I still have my health, I’m going to do whatever I can and be that voice for people who can’t come out and volunteer.”