The Union for Health Care Workers

UFCW Canada: The Union for Health Care Workers

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UFCW Canada: The Union for Health Care Workers

Canada’s union for health care workers is the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada), representing thousands of health care workers in almost every aspect of the health care industry, from long-term care homes to dental clinics to pharmacies and more.

UFCW Canada is known across the country as the “health care union” because we provide the union advantage of better pay, safer working conditions, and greater job security to health care employees at a wide range of workplaces, from coast to coast.

Our union is the best union for health care workers because we negotiate unmatched benefits like paid sick days, consistent scheduling, overtime pay, and personal leave, which ensure that health care workers are treated with respect and dignity on the job and help members and their families achieve work-life balance.  

Whether you are a long-term care worker, a dental assistant, a personal support worker (PSW), a pharmacy technician, or a registered practical nurse (RPN), UFCW Canada can help you improve your workplace and build a better life. That is why more and more health care workers are choosing UFCW Canada as their voice at work.

Facts About the Health Care Industry in Canada

  • Health care spending in Canada totaled over $251 billion in 2019 and is projected to rise to more than $303 billion by 2024.

  • The health care providers sector, which includes hospitals and companies that offer inpatient, outpatient, and long-term medical care, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies, grew by 4.7% in 2020, reaching a market value of $207 billion.

  • By 2025, the Canadian health care providers industry is forecasted to have a value of $272.2 billion, an increase of 31.2% from 2020.

  • Inpatient care delivered by hospitals is the largest segment of the health care providers sector in Canada, accounting for 33.8% of the industry’s total value.

  • Prescription drug and pharmaceutical sales totaled $29.8 billion in Canada in 2019, and are expected to reach $36.8 billion by 2024.

    Sources: MarketLine Industry Profile: Healthcare Providers in Canada. (2021). Healthcare Providers Industry Profile: Canada, 1–33; Key View. (2021). Canada Pharma & Healthcare Report, (1), 5–6.

 

Why Health Care Workers Join the Union

With decades of experience advocating for health care workers in the workplace and at the bargaining table, UFCW Canada has a long history of negotiating real gains and serving as a strong voice for health care workers. Tangible improvements that we collectively bargain for health care employees include paid sick days, regular wage increases, and better health benefits for you and your family.

Choosing the Health Care Union

Workers in the health care sector must meet expectations that few other industries demand. Since health care employees are responsible for the care and wellbeing of their patients, and sometimes encounter life and death scenarios, working in the health care sector can be an extremely stressful job.

In addition to the high level of stress, health care workers at private, non-unionized workplaces often lack the fair wages, generous benefits, and flexible work schedules that are seen elsewhere in the industry, particularly in unionized workplaces. These pressures and discrepancies can leave non-union health care workers feeling burned out and underappreciated at work.

Thankfully there is a solution to many of the problems facing workers in the health care sector: becoming a union member. By joining UFCW Canada, the union for health care workers, you and your colleagues can negotiate the terms of your employment, including working conditions, and gain access to the benefits, representation, and protections that over 250,000 UFCW Canada members currently enjoy.

Reasons to Join the Health Care Union

Health care workers join UFCW Canada because our union has a demonstrated track record of making a positive difference in the lives of members and their families.

Compared to health care employees at non-unionized workplaces, UFCW health care members enjoy higher pay, better working conditions, and stronger job security. They also benefit from fairer and more consistent scheduling and greater access to paid leave.

As well, UFCW Canada members working in the health care industry have the ability to upgrade their skills completely free of charge, thanks to the union’s ground-breaking online education program, webCampus. For instance, through webCampus, UFCW health care members can take free online courses that provide training and skills development for job positions like health and fitness specialist, pharmacy assistant, and food and nutrition specialist, among other roles.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, UFCW Canada has worked with employers in the health care sector to guarantee personal protective equipment and more paid sick days in order to protect the health and safety of members and patients alike.  

Additionally, our union launched multiple campaigns in support of frontline workers, including members in the health care industry. Most recently, UFCW Canada successfully pushed for frontline health care workers to be prioritized as part of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine program.

The Best Choice for Health Care Workers

The health care heroes who call UFCW Canada their union proudly work on the front lines of caring for Canadians and protecting the health and wellbeing of patients each and every day.

In contrast to other sectors represented by our union, where a majority of members work at large national and multinational corporations, UFCW Canada health care members primarily work at small and medium-sized companies with a local or regional presence in the health care industry.

Health care workers at these companies choose to join UFCW Canada because our union makes work better for health care employees, with higher wages, safer working conditions, and more paid time off than health care workers at non-union workplaces.

Across the health care sector, UFCW Canada members work in a diverse array of job roles, such as:

  • Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP)
  • Dental assistant
  • Dental nurse
  • Developmental Service Worker (DSW)
  • Dietician
  • Food and nutrition specialist
  • Health and fitness specialist
  • Home care worker
  • Hygienist
  • Life enrichment assistant
  • Long-term care worker
  • Personal Support Worker (PSW)
  • Pharmacist
  • Pharmacy technician
  • Pharmacy assistant
  • Primary Care Paramedic (PCP)
  • Registered Practical Nurse (RPN)
  • Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
  • Resident services attendant
  • Treatment coordinator
  • Unlicensed Care Provider (UCP)
  • Wellness attendant
  • And many other positions
 
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