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RPN workforce increasing in Ontario

Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) have made a modest come-back in Ontario hospitals, according to new   Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data . After slipping back 1.8% in 2011, the RPN hospital workforce is up 6.3% in 2012, increasing from 13,126 to 13,954. Since 2008, the RPN hospital workforce has increased by 1,594, or 13%. The number of RPNs working in long-term care has increased even more. Between 2008 and 2012, the LTC RPN workforce increased 2,794, or 29%.   The total LTC RPN workforce now sits at 12,502, only 1,452 less than the number working in hospitals. Community care has seen a slightly smaller increase than LTC, but still quite significant.  The percentage of RPNs has increased 25% to 3,705 since 2008. The ratio of RPN  to 100,000 population has also increased from 212 per 100,000 in 2008 to 243 in 2012.  This has moved Ontario slightly closer to the national average - increasing our ratio from 95% of the national average to 96% of the nationa

Union membership in Canada increases (despite claims otherwise)

The Globe and Mail (regurgitating in today's print edition claims from the Canadian Press) gets it wrong in a story about the labour movement and the new private sector union, UNIFOR.  They claim that "Union membership has declined in Canada in recent years".  In fact, as the easily available Statistics Canada chart copied below shows, union coverage has grown by 164,000 employees from 2008 to 2012, growing in 3 out of the last 4 years. Union coverage (Thousands) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total employees, covered and not covered by union Total employees, all industries  14,464.30 14,124.40 14,371.20 14,635.80 14,841.10 Public sector 3,412.10 3,415.00 3,511.10 3,563.00 3,600.80 Private sector 11,052.20 10,709.40 10,860.20 11,072.70 11,240.30 Union coverage Total employees, all industries

Physiotherapy: One more privatization scandal?

Lurking only slightly below the surface in the recent fight over changes to funding for physiotherapy is yet another problem with health care privatization. The government is stopping the ability of 94 physiotherapy clinics to directly bill OHIP. Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says that, over the years, licences to provide these services have been bought up by large corporations. Currently, two-thirds of the billing goes to four companies that are, she says, "behind the protests" against her reforms. Moreover, she charges that the " existing 94 clinics have had an unlimited ability to bill the government and have become very creative in they way they bill." By reforming how the money is distributed, the government claimed they will provide physiotherapy, exercising and fall-prevention classes to 218,000 more people, mostly seniors .   And they are going to do this while providing less money for physiotherapy than they otherwise would:  $16,000,0

Union wage advantage grows by $1.71 per hour

The gap between union and non-union wages in Ontario has grown significantly since the start of the recession in 2008, increasing by $1.71 per hour, Statistics Canada data indicates. The hourly union advantage grew by 34 cents per hour each year on average.  For a full time worker, that means the advantage for having union coverage in your workplace is growing by about $663 per year.  Compared to five years ago, that means the union wage advantage for an employee working full time hours has grown by $3,334 per year. In July 2008, the union premium was already considerable at 26.5% ($25.75 average wage per hour for those with union coverage versus $20.35 for those without, a $5.40 an hour difference). Five years later, in July 2013, the union premium had grown to 31.7%.  Union wages averaged $29.56 in 2013 versus $22.45 for workers without union coverage.  That is a $7.11 advantage for workers with union coverage. Temporary Workers: the biggest advantage? Unionized tem