Best of the Rest

Unions Move Forward in The Lawsuit Against Ford Government’s Wage Restraint Legislation

February 9

A coalition of over 40 Ontario unions formally filed 4500 pages of evidence in a lawsuit to repeal legislation, like Bill 124. This legislation severely limits wage and benefit increases for public sector workers and violates bargaining rights protected in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

SEIU’s Own Retirement Plan “My65+” Gains Momentum

April

In Canada’s Federal Budget for 2021, funding of $27.6 million over three years was proposed for My65+, a Group Tax-Free Savings Account only available to SEIU Healthcare member’s and their spouses. 2021 continued to be a big year for My65+, with several employers, including homecare provider CarePartners, partnering with us to offer our members the plan through their payroll system. In addition, My65+ was named a finalist for several awards, including Canadian Investment Review’s Pension Leadership Awards and Benefits Canada’s Awards.

Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Award

May 27

We were proud to accept the 2021 Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Award from the Equity Committee of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. We received the award due to our work promoting equity, human rights, and inclusion within our union. The award also recognizes our Social Justice Capacity Building program. Armstrong was a Black trade unionist, and his activism was pivotal in the early anti-discrimination campaigns in Ontario that led to Canada’s first anti-discrimination laws. It’s an honour for SEIU Healthcare to receive an award that recognizes such an important man.

One Year Out

June 1

On June 2, 2022, Ontario will be electing a Provincial government. On June 1, 2021, we held a “One Year Out” Facebook Live event to share actions and mobilizations that would be needed over the next 365 days to ensure that we elect a government that will show up for healthcare workers.

Mina Amrith Makes History at the OFL Convention

November 4

Our very own SEIU Healthcare Executive Vice-President Mina Amrith became the first-ever Vice-President, Women, for the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). Over the years, we have watched Mina grow into a strong union nurse and women’s advocate. We are very proud of her accomplishments and look forward to seeing what she can achieve in her new role.

Virtual Regional Zoom Meetings

Last year, we launched our first-ever Virtual Regional Zoom Meetings. Connecting online was such a success that we decided to bring them into 2021. In March, June, and September, we held Regional Zoom Meetings for all eight regions. It was a great opportunity for you to connect with members within your region, learn about our new SEIU Mobile App, and discuss upcoming union initiatives. We look forward to hosting more regional meetings in the future.

Scholarship Contest

Once again, SEIU members voted for our annual SEIU Healthcare Scholarship Program winners. We asked applicants to send in a video telling us what healthcare means to them or about someone in healthcare who is important to them. We received several outstanding applications and put the winners’ fate in your hands.

The winners were:

  • Dominique Abeller
  • Hannah Leung
  • Anne Guerrero
  • Jonas Gomez

Member Appreciation Giveaway

To close out 2021, we made it our mission to deliver special swag bags to every single one of our members. SEIU Healthcare staff and union stewards set up meetings, pickups and drop-offs all over Ontario to deliver your swag packages.

Regional Gift Card Giveaway

Before the holiday season, we organized a Regional Gift Card Giveaway. We gave away 800 President’s Choice gift cards (100 per region). Participants entered the giveaway on our new SEIU Mobile App. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all those who participated.

Didn’t know about this giveaway? Make sure to fill out the “Update Your Info” form located at the top of this page or download the new SEIU Healthcare mobile app.

WSIB Highlights

SEIU Healthcare has a dedicated department to help our members get the compensation they need when they are forced off work due to workplace illness or injury. Since 2015, we have won over $10 million in WSIB claims for our members. Some numbers from 2021 include:

0+
Members Assisted Through Our WSIB Department
$0
In Claims Won

SEIU Savings

Thousands of SEIU Healthcare members saved money this year by taking advantage of our SEIU Savings program, which added new discounts in 2021 including cell phone plan discounts from Bell, Rogers, and Telus. We also gave away various prizes through this program, including gift cards, sports tickets, iPads, and more. SEIU Healthcare members can save on hundreds of items and services, including cell phone plans, home and auto insurance, sporting and leisure events, and retail products like jewelry, electronics and clothing.

Unions Move Forward in The Lawsuit Against Ford Government’s Wage Restraint Legislation

February 9

A Coalition of over 40 Ontario unions formally filed 4500 pages of evidence in a lawsuit to repeal legislation, like Bill 124. This legislation severely limits wage and benefit increases for public sector workers and violates bargaining rights protected in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

SEIU’s Own Retirement Plan “My65+” Gains Momentum

APRIL

In Canada’s Federal Budget for 2021, funding of $27.6 million over three years was proposed for My65+, a Group Tax-Free Savings Account only available to SEIU Healthcare member’s and their spouses. 2021 continued to be a big year for My65+, with several employers, including homecare provider CarePartners, partnering with us to offer our members the plan through their payroll system. In addition, My65+ was named a finalist for several awards, including Canadian Investment Review’s Pension Leadership Awards and Benefits Canada’s Awards.

Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Award

May 27

We were proud to accept the 2021 Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Award from the Equity Committee of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. We received the award due to our work promoting equity, human rights, and inclusion within our union. The award also recognizes our Social Justice Capacity Building program. Armstrong was a Black trade unionist, and his activism was pivotal in the early anti-discrimination campaigns in Ontario that led to Canada’s first anti-discrimination laws. It’s an honour for SEIU Healthcare to receive an award that recognizes such an important man.

One Year Out

June 1

On June 2, 2022, Ontario will be electing a Provincial government. On June 1, 2021, we held a “One Year Out” Facebook Live event to share actions and mobilizations that would be needed over the next 365 days to ensure that we elect a government that will show up for healthcare workers.

Mina Amrith Makes History at the OFL Convention

November 4

Our very own SEIU Healthcare Executive Vice-President Mina Amrith became the first-ever Vice-President, Women, for the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). Over the years, we have watched Mina grow into a strong union nurse and women’s advocate. We are very proud of her accomplishments and look forward to seeing what she can achieve in her new role.

Virtual Regional Zoom Meetings

Last year, we launched our first-ever Virtual Regional Zoom Meetings. Connecting online was such a success that we decided to bring them into 2021. In March, June, and September, we held Regional Zoom Meetings for all eight regions. It was a great opportunity for you to connect with members within your region, learn about our new SEIU Mobile App, and discuss upcoming union initiatives. We look forward to hosting more regional meetings in the future.

Scholarship Contest

Once again, SEIU members voted for our annual SEIU Healthcare Scholarship Program winners. We asked applicants to send in a video telling us what healthcare means to them or about someone in healthcare who is important to them. We received several outstanding applications and put the winners’ fate in your hands.

The winners were:

  • Dominique Abeller
  • Hannah Leung
  • Anne Guerrero
  • Jonas Gomez

Member Appreciation Giveaway

To close out 2021, we made it our mission to deliver special swag bags to every single one of our members. SEIU Healthcare staff and union stewards set up meetings, pickups and drop-offs all over Ontario to deliver your swag packages.

Regional Gift Card Giveaway

Before the holiday season, we organized a Regional Gift Card Giveaway. We gave away 800 President’s Choice gift cards (100 per region). Participants entered the giveaway on our new SEIU Mobile App. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all those who participated.

Didn’t know about this giveaway? Make sure to fill out the “Update Your Info” form located at the top of this page or download the new SEIU Healthcare mobile app.

WSIB Highlights

SEIU Healthcare has a dedicated department to help our members get the compensation they need when they are forced off work due to workplace illness or injury. Since 2015, we have won over $10 million in WSIB claims for our members. Some numbers from 2021 include:

0+
Members Assisted Through Our WSIB Department
$0
In Claims Won

SEIU Savings

Thousands of SEIU Healthcare members saved money this year by taking advantage of our SEIU Savings program, which added new discounts in 2021 including cell phone plan discounts from Bell, Rogers, and Telus. We also gave away various prizes through this program, including gift cards, sports tickets, iPads, and more. SEIU Healthcare members can save on hundreds of items and services, including cell phone plans, home and auto insurance, sporting and leisure events, and retail products like jewelry, electronics and clothing.

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