For our Members and for the Public
The membership of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) includes 23,000 CUPE hospital, long-term care, ambulance and central laundry workers in 120 bargaining units across Ontario.
For our Members
OCHU bargains a central collective agreement, coordinates grievances related to centrally negotiated language, conducts campaigns in defense of a universally accessible, public healthcare system, and assists with organizing drives throughout the province. OCHU often works with other unions and community coalitions to support and coordinate joint campaigns in the health care sector.
In 2003, OCHU developed a campaign action plan for both our members and the community. Additionally, OCHU is working with CUPE National to facilitate the CUPE National health care campaign, which was adopted through the CUPE National Health Care workers conference on February 6 and 7, 2003. OCHU will also be working with the Ontario Health Coalition in the upcoming year in order to coordinate our campaigns together.
In September 2002, OCHU undertook an ambitious fifty city speaking tour, known as the “Campaign Against For-Profit Health Care”. This campaign remains ongoing although the tour has now ended. Please visit our Current Campaigns and Events section to view our latest campaign initiatives.
In addition to campaigns, OCHU also co-ordinates arbitrations for grievances that have provincial implications and arranges educationals on a variety of topics for the executive and membership in conjunction with CUPE’s Union Development branch.
As well, the OCHU Secretary-Treasurer and First Vice-President sit on the Board of the Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), representing CUPE’s plan members.
OCHU has several active occupational and issue- oriented committees which include: Health and Safety, Trades, Registered Practical Nurses’ (RPN), and Continuing Care/Long-term Care committees. These committees generally include an elected representative from each Area.
For more detail on our membership, organizational purpose and structure, please see the OCHU bylaws.
For the Public
In 2002 and 2003, OCHU was involved in an ambitious public education and action campaign known as the “Campaign Against For Profit Health Care”. This campaign tour was a joint project between OCHU, the Ontario Health Coalition and the Council of Canadians. This campaign consisted of public meetings, which were scheduled in approximately fifty communities throughout Ontario. Featured speakers included Maude Barlow, Chair of the Council of Canadians, Natalie Mehra, Provincial Coordinator of the Ontario Health Coalition and Michael Hurley, President of OCHU. Other tour speakers have included the authors of the McMaster study on increased deaths in for-profit hospitals and Armine Yalnizyan, a research fellow with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the first recipient of the Atkinson Foundation's Award for Economic Justice.
Please visit our Past Campaigns and Events section to view the communities we visited while on tour.