TORONTO, March 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Nine Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) now have finalized collective agreements with the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), arrived at through interest arbitration.

"These new collective agreements with the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) settle the outstanding issue of wages, and we thank the arbitrator for his efforts in this process," said provincial spokesperson Megan Allen-Lamb, CEO of North Simcoe Muskoka CCAC. "We respect the decision of the Arbitrator, however, we are disappointed that the Arbitrator ignored the freely negotiated settlements achieved in our sector in the current round of bargaining with CUPE, OPSEU and ONA members at the Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand Brant CCAC."

On February 15, 2015, the nine affected CCACs and ONA agreed to participate in interest arbitration, a process through which a neutral third party makes a final and binding decision on outstanding bargaining issues. The agreement to take part in this process ended the 16-day strike which began on January 30. ONA-represented employees, primarily care coordinators and nurses, began returning to their workplaces on February 17.

Ten CCACs had been engaged in collective bargaining with ONA since spring 2014. The nine CCACs affected by the new collective agreements are Central, Central East, Erie St. Clair, North East, North West, North Simcoe Muskoka, South East, South West, and Waterloo Wellington. The agreements cover the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2016. The agreements do not affect Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant CCAC, as its ONA-represented employees had ratified the employer's offer on January 30. Champlain, Central West, Mississauga Halton and Toronto Central CCACs do not have ONA-represented employees.

For Central, Central East, Erie St. Clair, North Simcoe Muskoka, South East, South West, and Waterloo Wellington CCACs, the Arbitrator's decision is:

• Effective April 1, 2014 – 1.4% wage increase
• Effective April 1, 2015 – 1.4% wage increase.

For North East and North West CCACs, the Arbitrator's decision is:

• Effective April 1, 2014 – 1.4% wage increase
• Effective April 1, 2015 – 1.4% wage increase wage increase with an additional 2.0% wage increase for the Northern Premium.

"We thank our patients for their understanding, and our health care partners – physicians, hospitals, our contracted service provider agencies, and other community partners – for working with CCACs to support continuity of care throughout the labour disruption," said Allen-Lamb. "We value the contribution of all CCAC employees and their dedication to providing the best possible care to patients and their families, where and when they need it."

Ontario's 14 CCACs get people the care they need in their homes and communities across the province, serving 700,000 people across the province last year. Funded by the provincial government through the Local Health Integration Networks, CCACs provide a single point of access to a wide range of home and community services, enabling people to get the specialized blend of health care services they need.

For further information:

Nolan Reeds, Director, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, 416-640-7703, nolan.reeds@ccac-ont.ca