During two well-attended rallies last September and December, ONA members show their support for health-care workers fighting for retirement security from their employer, Sickkids, one of only two hospitals in the province that isn’t part of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.
Pensions are one the best ways to ensure that people can retire with dignity and financial security after decades of work.
Most nurses and health-care professionals in Ontario are covered by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), which is why ONA members were astonished to hear that health-care workers at SickKids Hospital in downtown Toronto are one of only two hospitals who aren’t.
SickKids’ plan, in fact, is abysmal with just $17,550 in annual pension payments (based on annual earning of $45,000 after 30 years of service). In contrast, HOOPP, the pension plan of the majority of ONA members, offers $25,560 annually, which is about $8,000 more. To top it off, the employer has refused to contribute to their plan for 26 years, despite reporting surpluses in it.
“This is a very well-funded, world-renowned pediatric hospital and there is absolutely no excuse for SickKids failing to contribute to the retirement security of the dedicated workers who provide such extraordinary care to vulnerable children,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss.
Some health-care workers at SickKids are members of CUPE and OPSEU SEFPO and some don’t have union representation. ONA members have been proud to show solidarity with these workers in their fight for pension fairness, as our allies have so frequently done for us. When one union wins, we all benefit. As workers covered by HOOPP, we know it’s important to support other nurses and health-care workers fighting for a decent pension plan.
SickKids has built its reputation as a world-class institution on the backs of a workforce that’s predominantly female and disproportionately Racialized.
That’s why last September, ONA members came together with SickKids workers to leaflet, contact and mobilize our networks to show up for a rally in support of a decent pension plan. Ariss reiterated ONA members’ solidarity and expressed that, “there is a moral obligation for employers, including SickKids, to contribute to a decent pension plan for workers who do so much for their patients and this hospital’s reputation.”
The boss wasn’t happy about the rally outside their doorstep. After it was over, SickKids explained that they were in talks with HOOPP, however they decided to not contribute to their staff pension plan yet again. This announcement ahead of the winter holidays was as heart-breaking as it was enraging. The workers, many of whom are Black and Racialized women, felt beaten down but not defeated.
In another attempt to shame the employer into joining HOOPP, SickKids workers and ONA members delivered a signed Christmas card that read, “All we want for Christmas is a decent pension plan.”
Ariss reminded everyone about victories such as overturning the Ford government’s reprehensible Bill 124 in the courts, and the fact that when workers are united, they are very successful in beating bosses at their own game.
“SickKids has built its reputation as a world-class institution on the backs of a workforce that’s predominantly female and disproportionately Racialized,” says CUPE Ontario Council of Hospital Unions President Michael Hurley. “It’s only fair to provide them a pension plan that secures a dignified retirement, free from the clutches of poverty. Through our joint campaign with ONA and OPSEU, we will hold the hospital accountable and ensure these workers get the justice they deserve.”
Despite not seeing an immediate result, SickKids workers continue to put pressure on their employer to join HOOPP, and ONA members continue to show their support because everyone deserves retirement security.
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