Unionized staff at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit have voted unanimously in favour of strike action to back contract demands. The nearly 125 workers represented by CUPE 543.03 have been without a contract since the last one expired Dec. 31, 2025. The union and the health unit did meet for contract talks with a conciliator on July 29. Wages are the main issue, as the union says workers’ wages have fallen behind inflation over their last two collective agreements, with the workers receiving annual increases of just one per cent during four of those years and will accept another contract with just a one per cent increase. Bargaining Unit Chair for the union, Leah Murphy, says in the last seven years, they have been in the lowest percentile across the province for their wage increases. “One per cent is not something our members can stand by to move forward in this round of bargaining,” she says. “A number of our members have second and third jobs just to make ends meet, so a one per cent increase is not something they can live with.” The union is seeking a 15 per cent wage increase over three years in the next contract. Benefit and language improvements are also issues in negotiations. Murphy says public health workers are wired to support the community. “We want to be able to provide fulsome programs, which means having stable employment for our members in order to meet the needs of our communities,” she says. “The challenge is that if our members are not able to live on their wage, then they need to seek employment elsewhere.” Murphy says another big issue is employee retention and recruitment. “We have members that do leave to find better pay elsewhere, and we’re losing knowledge and experience, and our communities are suffering for it,” she says. A strike date has not been set at this point. The unionized health unit workers include public health inspectors, social workers, oral health specialists, and tobacco and vaping enforcement officers, who are responsible for inspecting restaurants and beaches, monitoring drinking water systems, delivering health programs in schools and vulnerable communities, and working to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
