Ahead of a potential strike by Essex-Windsor EMS employees, there’s a sense of anxiety among staff who are balancing the needs of the community and their own health and safety. Krista Hillier, a community paramedic who’s been in the industry for 19 years, told CTV News the job has changed rapidly in recent years as populations rise and get older, leading to higher call volumes. “I know how it feels like you’re running all day, you’re missing your lunches, and then sometimes you’re coming home late to your family because those calls just kind of keep coming,” Hillier said. Those conditions are leading more people to shy away from a career in paramedicine, she said. Hillier was hopeful change would come from a new agreement between Essex County and CUPE Local 2974. Instead, Essex-Windsor EMS could be heading for its first-ever strike by Friday. “I see the wear and tear on my coworkers and people that I didn’t expect things to happen to, you know, like PTSD is like a daily conversation that we’re having,” she said. Potential strike After months of talks and conciliation, the union and the county appear no closer to a deal. According to Local 2974, there are no planned talks between the two sides, despite the impending strike. Trained to respond to the community’s needs, Hillier said the potential for a strike comes with “mixed emotions” as members weigh their jobs and the need for fair treatment. “None of us want to go on strike. We’re being forced to. It’s almost going against, like, our inner mind telling us, like, you can’t do this, you can’t do this. We know we have to because if we don’t stand now, this will never change,” Hillier said. On the front lines, Hillier said members are feeling “anxiety” over the weight of potential job action. Though she was once hopeful to see an early resolution, Hillier now feels a strike is “inevitable.” “We knew that bargaining was happening this year, and we thought things were going to be different because we were told they’re going to be different, and we’re not seeing that,” she said. Under an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement set out by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, staffing could be decreased by about 20 per cent. The county has said it would mean the temporary suspension of the Community Paramedicine Program and a reduction of six ambulances during the day and three ambulances overnight. Already stretched thin, James Jovanovic, the president of Local 2974, said a potential strike could cause disruptions in receiving care. “It certainly lends potential for more difficulty in meeting our response time targets, more waits for those in public, and that has a profound impact,” Jovanovic said. Though members don’t want to strike, he said they can’t continue to endure conditions that are already putting the public and his members at risk. “We’re in this position because for far too long service administrators have allowed working conditions to get so poor in EMS that we can no longer get any interest in joining the profession to begin with,” he added. County’s position In a statement released last week, the County of Essex refuted claims that they do not value Essex-Windsor EMS employees, and that wage offers have not been competitive compared to similar markets across Ontario. Figures provided by the county indicated their proposed wage increase would make Essex-Windsor EMS employees among the highest paid in their profession in Ontario by 2028. The county stated the union has compared paramedic wages to those in policing and fire services, but added the latter two fall under “fall under different legislative, regulatory and collective bargaining regimes.” “Therefore, the County of Essex believes its offer is fair, competitive and above the current market rate for paramedic services, designed to make Essex-Windsor EMS an employer of choice and attract paramedics to work in our region,” the county said in its statement. The county claimed its offer included mental health-related initiatives and detailed previous investments in the industry. The statement added they’ve offered to resolve issues through binding interest arbitration to avoid any labour disruption. The union has alleged the comparators used in the county statement were never used during negotiations. “They want you to trust that their position, and only theirs, is all of a sudden enough to fix this problem, and that the people who have been sounding the alarm for years are asking for too much,” Jovanovic said. In the event a strike occurs, the county noted it has analyzed call volumes, ambulance availability, response times, and geographic considerations based on where service reductions would occur. “We are committed to minimizing the impact of service reductions on patient care while maintaining the safest and most effective emergency response system,” the statement reads in part. If a strike begins, both the county and the union have urged residents to continue calling 9-1-1 in the event of a medical emergency.
