Any RPNs from Ontario joined ONA?

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I just thought I would throw this out there to see if any AN members from Ontario have any experience with this. My self and some of my coworkers are aware that some RPNs in Ontario have joined ONA, the same union that represents the RNs. We are trying to find out how easy the process was and if the contract is noticeably better than your previous union.

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If you do not receive a response from a RPN ONA member, ask the ONA rep at your workplace what the process entails and if you can see copies of the local collective agreements for the places that have RPN membership. Good luck, I think switching to ONA may involve effort initially, but overall it's a good idea for nurses to be members of the same union.

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Be careful what you wish for. Look into labour relations in provinces such as Manitoba and Saskatchewan where the PN and RN have joined into various United Nurses unions.

UNA doesn't like LPNs and there is no way in the warm, fire filled place that you would convince me that they want us.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I have emailed ONA and got a long response referring the process. The scariest part is you have to decertify from your present union and then join ONA for a short period of time you have no Union.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Well hopefully you won't need your union for anything during the transition period. I'm out of scope, so no union anymore and it really hasn't made a difference, not yet anyway.

Good luck!

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I can see how it would be worrisome to be without union protection for a brief period of time, but the current market trend is to retain RPNs, not lay them off. Since the ball is in the RPNs court it is a good time to make changes.

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Specializes in NICU.

I wouldn't want to be part of ONA as an RPN...they don't seem very pro-RPN to me! I agree that al nurses should be represented by one Union. Why am I on the union with housekeeping, nutrition services, porters etc. when nurses have their own issues? I don't get it.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

The relationship between RNs and RPNs is really good in my workplace and they have no issue with us being allowed to work at our full scope. One of the requirements of joining is that you have to have the support of ONA members in your workplace.

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The relationship between RNs and RPNs is really good in my workplace and they have no issue with us being allowed to work at our full scope. One of the requirements of joining is that you have to have the support of ONA members in your workplace.

All well and good at the local, unit level. You have to look at the entire structure of the organization because ultimately how the union rep talks about PNs is a good indicator of how you will be treated.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Our ONA rep just treats us all the same. I used to work closely with her.

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No, I mean the union executive, like their president, media reps. UNAs love to stress that safe care can only be delivered by RNs despite our co-workers saying she doesn't mean it.

mixed message or fearmongering?

look at the big picture not just your job site

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