Nursing Division
Nursing Division
Nursing Division Board
SEIU Healthcare is the only service union with a dedicated Nursing Division. We’re proud to represent over 8,500 Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs), Registered Nurses (RNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) – a diverse group of nurses from across the province who work in various healthcare settings.
Nursing Division President:
Sandi Jones
Vice President of Hospital
Ashley Hill
Vice President of Home Care & Community Care
Vacant
Vice President of Long Term Care
Jocelyn Borras
Region 1 Representative
Sheena Woods
Region 2 Representative
Christine Lightbourne-Scott
Region 3 Representative
Amy Fugaccia
Region 4 Representative
Tanya Rahim- Juttlah
Region 5 Representative
Abiemwense Osawe
Region 6 Representative
Rafal Pierini
Region 7 Representative
Amy Lenover
Region 8 Representative
Janette Umurungi
Drive to $35 and Safe Staffing
Drive to $35 and Safe Staffing
For over three years, SEIU Healthcare’s Nursing Division has been the only union demanding a new minimum wage for Registered Practical Nurses of at least $35 per hour and safe staffing levels for all nurses.
This year, we ramped up these demands by launching a letter-writing campaign urging MPPs to stand with us and fight for a $35 minimum wage for all nurses.
We also asked nurses across Ontario to show their support by taking photos with our “Safe Staffing Save Lives” poster.
Through this campaign, led by former Nursing Division President and current SEIU Healthcare Executive Vice President Jackie Walker, we achieved great media attention on the issue, leading to excellent public support. In part due to this campaign, Hospital RPNs were awarded an extra $2 premium by an arbitrator in 2023, pushing most over the $35 per hour wage rate.
While this is a great win for the hospital sector, the campaign still goes on fighting for all nurses in all sectors in Ontario.
Poll Finds More Than 60% Of Registered Practical Nurses Are Being Driven Out of Healthcare
We know the conditions healthcare workers are under, so along with CUPE, we commissioned a poll to demonstrate how dire the healthcare staffing crisis is. According to our poll, more than 60% of registered practical nurses (RPNs) in Ontario are considering leaving their profession due to low pay and understaffing.
The poll conducted by Nanos Research identified short staffing, physically and mentally draining workloads, and suppressed wages as the main causes of the crisis.
We took these results across the province in April and May and held press conferences in places like Toronto, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Sudbury, and more.
Poll Finds More Than 60% Of Registered Practical Nurses Are Being Driven Out of Healthcare
We know the conditions healthcare workers are under, so along with CUPE, we commissioned a poll to demonstrate how dire the healthcare staffing crisis is. According to our poll, more than 60% of registered practical nurses (RPNs) in Ontario are considering leaving their profession due to low pay and understaffing.
The poll conducted by Nanos Research identified short staffing, physically and mentally draining workloads, and suppressed wages as the main causes of the crisis.
We took these results across the province in April and May and held press conferences in places like Toronto, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Sudbury, and more.
SEIU Healthcare is the only union that provides free PLP Insurance to all our nurses in good standing.
- PLP Insurance protects nurses against professional liability claims.
- Supports nurses responding to the CNO if named in a complaint.
- Provides College Prep to assist nurses in responding to the CNO to come to an early resolution during the CNO’s complaint process.
It’s never been more important for you to be protected. Since 2017, employers’ reports to the College of Nurses of Ontario have increased by over 500%.
Make sure to renew your PLP insurance for 2024!
We created our Take Back Your Time Calculator online tool to see how much money has been stolen from SEIU Healthcare nurses because of time theft.
Time theft means your employer and the Ford government steal from you when they allow you to work unpaid breaks and overtime due to staff shortages. Your employer won’t pay you for that extra time, and Ford can continue to ignore the healthcare staffing crisis. On average, SEIU Nurses miss out on almost $400 PER WEEK due to unreported overtime hours.
Nursing Week 2023
During Nursing Week 2023, we hosted digital events to provide valuable information, give important info on the work of the Nursing Division and share how nurses can get more involved in their union.