Your union for administrative and clerical workers at SickKids
You keep SickKids running. By unionizing, you and your co-workers can fight for better pay, fair treatment, and real job protections.
A union is a way for you and your co-workers to act together to improve your working conditions. Together, you can negotiate a collective agreement—a contract with the hospital that sets out pay, benefits, job security, and more.
What’s at stake
SickKids deficit and restructuring
SickKids faces a deficit of more than $100 million. The provincial government is requiring hospitals to eliminate their deficits, with cuts to be made to non-clinical areas. That puts administrative and clerical jobs directly at risk.
Hiring freeze means more work for you
At the October 19 town hall, Ronni said the hiring freeze would likely continue for another one to two years. You are already doing more as colleagues leave and positions go unfilled. Another two years of vacancies would mean even heavier workloads for those left behind.
What unionized hospital workers have won
Unionized hospital workers have negotiated better working conditions, including:
Better pay and annual wage increases
Right now, wage increases within your pay band depend on performance reviews, making it difficult for many workers to reach the top of their pay scale. With a union, workers can negotiate wage grids that provide automatic increases based on years of service, rather than a manager’s discretion. This creates a fair and transparent path to the top of your pay scale.
CUPE staff also get a half-hour paid lunch without a wage cut. SickKids cut some clerks’ hourly wages to pay for a break—costing them up to $4,000 per year.
On top of that, CUPE members at SickKids negotiate annual wage increases. In 2025, CUPE staff won a 4.25% increase, compared with the 2.25% given to non-union workers in 2026.
Protections from layoffs and technological changes
When jobs are threatened, workers need a say in what happens next. CUPE’s existing agreement at SickKids requires the hospital to work with the union to explore alternatives to layoffs. It also provides ways for eligible workers to move into other positions, retrain, or return to work after a layoff.
These processes make a real difference. Earlier this year, The Ottawa Hospital announced plans to eliminate roughly 400 positions. By September, it reported limiting involuntary departures to 17 people through measures including vacancy management and early retirement.
That doesn’t erase the impact of staffing cuts, but it shows how alternatives to layoffs can help workers remain employed.
Read more about layoff protections
Fair treatment at work
When you’re unionized, your collective agreement sets out rules for workplace decisions. This helps protect workers from favouritism and unfair treatment. If the hospital breaks those rules, workers have a formal process to challenge the decision, with union representation and support.
How unionizing works
- Sign a card. Confidentially sign a union card to show your support.
- Secret ballot vote. When enough workers sign, the union can apply for a vote.
- Majority wins. If a majority of those voting vote YES, you form your union.
- Negotiate your first contract. You and your co-workers decide your priorities and elect your own bargaining committee.