Letter of Support – Ontario Nurses’ Association Letter of Support –

To: IAM Member Airport Screener Officers

Hello to each of you from the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), Canada’s largest nurses’ union.

I am writing to you to encourage you to remain a member of your current union – IAM – and your union’s affiliation with the Ontario Federation of Labour and Canadian Labour Congress. 

ONA’s 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates have experienced firsthand the incredible, tangible benefits that come with union membership

The solidarity that comes from affiliation with other labour unions has been invaluable to achieving our goals and improving the lives of members and those they care for.

We understand that all IAM members have been approached by an organization called the CAWU and urged to leave your current union. Doing so would certainly be damaging to you.

The past number of years have seen unprecedented attacks on unions and their members. Our union has been able to fight back effectively and achieve a number of wins through the solidarity we have fostered with other OFL affiliates.

We have seen what we can achieve together, including forcing the provincial government to repeal a wage-suppression law that targeted public-sector workers. We have stood shoulder-to-should alongside other OFL-affiliated unions to defeat repeated attacks on many fronts by the province. We continue to do so – together. 

As committed labour movement members, ONA and its members stand with you as members of IAM. 

Labour unions in this province are vital to the best interests of the people of Ontario. We have a long, proud history of achieving improvements in working conditions, safety and compensation. 

As the Provincial President of ONA, and as a proud registered nurse, I urge you to do what’s best for you and your future – remain a member of IAM and work with all of us in Ontario to fight for better. There has never been a more urgent need for solidarity than right now. 

In solidarity,
Erin Ariss,
RN
Provincial President,
Ontario Nurses’ Association