Hospital nurses represented by the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) will receive their most significant wage increase in decades.
It comes after three years under Bill 124, a wage restraint law introduced by the provincial government, which capped increases at one per cent a year.
The ONA announced the arbitration decision on Thursday.
It amounts to average wage increases of 11 per cent over two years. That total comes from a 3.5 per cent general wage increase in 2023 and a 3 per cent increase in 2024. It also takes inflation into account, which has rapidly outpaced wages made by Registered Nurses (RNs), and adjusts the ONA pay grid.
Arbitrator William Kaplan called the decision "long overdue and meaningful," an acknowledged that capped wages played a significant role in the ability to retain and recruit more nurses.
"ONA members have been organizing across the province to push for better wages to improve staffing and patient care. This time, we were heard," ONA President Erin Ariss said.
In a first for health-care contracts in Ontario, the arbitrator also provided dedicated isolation pay. It ensures continued salary in the event of exposure to communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, recognizing that health-care workers are at heightened risk.
Ariss said the decision is the first step in righting past wrongs. She also acknowledged that the new contract won't fix staffing shortages overnight.
"The fight for better patient care is only beginning." Ariss said.
The ONA represents 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates