Wednesday, February 26, 2025

CLAC Is a Healthcare Union!

Healthcare concerns have taken a back seat to tariffs recently. But not for CLAC representatives

By Judith Jackson, Representative, Mississauga Member Centre

Healthcare has certainly taken a back seat to tariffs in the news these days. As a matter of fact, healthcare was re-escorted to the back seat as soon as the pandemic became manageable.

Here at CLAC, our healthcare members never take a back seat. They are always primarily on our agenda and in our planning.

Recently, there was a raid by another union at one of my homes, Cedarvale Lodge. You can imagine my horror when one of the then CUPE supporters told me that CLAC does not know healthcare. He said we only know construction and thus we could not help them.

I must admit my immediate response was not to educate him. I immediately sat up in my chair, my mind and thoughts racing. I thought to myself, what kind of nonsense is this?

My heart pumping, palms sweating, and blood pressure rising, I asked the member to hold for a quick second. I muted the phone and prayed, “Lord, give me wisdom and let the spirit of Grace and understanding rest upon me.”

I then unmuted my phone. “Hello,” I said, confirming he was still on the phone. I went on to say, “I am not sure where you get that information from, but CLAC is not new to healthcare. We celebrated 70 years in 2022.”

I went on to give him some facts about who we are and what we do. In Ontario, our largest representation work goes to healthcare. In the days to come, the then CUPE member came to realize that CLAC representation was indeed right for him and his coworkers.

While healthcare has become and remains a distant memory in the minds of our leaders, it never is at CLAC. We continue to see the headlines of failures and widespread turmoil in healthcare.

CLAC continues to advocate for members and their jobs, which means keeping healthcare healthy and strong, keeping our long term care homes in operation and our hospital beds open, and supporting our members in homecare.

As healthcare in our province makes its way through what is known as its “fifth restructuring,” with an aim to focus on homecare, the problems for workers continue: low wages, poor working conditions, staffing shortages, insufficient beds, insufficient funding, and unfulfilled promises.

CLAC takes Its stand in the rebuilding of healthcare. Our service and commitment to our members brings hope. We continue to negotiate for

comprehensive health and benefit insurance plans;
superior wages;
our excellent defined-contribution pension plan, with a history of strong returns;
making ongoing appeals to our political leaders and decision makers on the need to invest in Canada’s healthcare system;
bringing awareness to our decision makers on the struggles members face working in various healthcare sectors;
expert workers compensation claims and appeals advice;
annual education scholarships for members and their families;
savings for members through discounts from major vendors with CLAC’s My Rewards program.

While our leaders continue to make and amend legislation, check their boxes, and fuss over their to-do-list, CLAC as an organization continues to care and advocate for the people who work the long hours, work short, and remain underpaid. Our members keep healthcare running.

Let’s make the healthcare sector a great place to work again. For real this time!

CLAC Is a Healthcare Union!

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