The union representing over 60,000 hospital-sector nurses across the province is entering into day two of arbitration.
The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) started the arbitration hearings on Wednesday with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), and the hearings will wrap up today.
Contract talks between the OHA and ONA have been ongoing this year and have failed, and the two sides are in now in arbitration. Arbitrator Sheri Price will hear each side's proposals and will issue a decision in a few months.
In the meantime, hospital nurses continue to work without a contract as they are prevented by law from striking.
According to a release by the ONA, the key priority in negotiations is the implementation of proper RN-to-patient staffing ratios, and that having standards for a maximum number of patients per nurse to care for have been shown to improve the quality of care.
They add that the Ontario Hospital Association wants to use a staffing model called "just-in-time" staffing -- meaning employees would only be hired when they are needed.
ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates.
ONA has over 1,600 members at Windsor Regional Hospital.
A communications official with Windsor Regional Hospital states that they don't have any comment on active negotiations.
