When we fight, we win.

But while 2022 was a year of important victories, we still have a long fight ahead against an anti-worker government in power for another three years. Ford has already appealed our victory on Bill 124 and is determined to rob you of the wage and benefit increases you need and deserve.

This year, our attention turns to politics more than ever. As the past few years have shown us, in order to achieve life-changing gains at the bargaining table, we must ensure we have a government that allows those gains to happen.

We all know how difficult the last three years have been, especially for healthcare workers, but this fight will take all of us.

In 2023, I’m asking you to do whatever you can to join us in this battle. Fill out an online petition. Attend a Leadership Academy. Join us at a rally. Meet with your MP and MPP.

This is our year to take all the lessons we’ve learned from the past three years and win the improvements you need.

Together, we can make healthcare jobs, good jobs.

That’s why in 2023, more than ever, our focus must be on the change and improvements that can be achieved through political action. While significant gains should usually be achieved at the bargaining table, actions by Doug Ford’s Ontario government, such as the implementation of Bill 124 and a lack of healthcare funding, have made this often impossible.

But we’ve won through political action - like the new federal dental plan giving parents without existing private coverage up to $650 for each eligible child under the age of 12 or enhanced Canada Pension Plan payouts for future retirees – and we will win again.

This January, we are launching our largest-ever SEIU Healthcare Political Action Committee and are calling on members across Ontario to join our Power Surge. We will also be reintroducing our in-person Leadership Academy sessions, which will be politically focussed and get you more involved in both your union and communities.

We may be three years away from the next election, but as our victories this year have shown – including Bill 124 being ruled unconstitutional and void by the courts – we don’t need an election to win progress. All we need is workers and their unions standing up for your rights, fighting back, and making your voices heard.

So, are you with me?

Let’s make 2023 a year we’ll never forget with the victories and gains you so badly need and deserve.

Sincerely,

Tyler Downey

Shame.

On the day Bill 124 was ruled unconstitutional, I was alongside our members at Sunnybrook, rallying for the Bill’s repeal. The emotion I saw and felt from these amazing frontline workers when we got word of our victory was something I will never forget and will help fuel my fight in 2023 to ensure Bill 124 remains null and void.

2023 will be about fighting back and pushing forward, but it will also be about strengthening ourselves and our communities.

Last year, we were proud to host our first ever LGBTQ2+ and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Summits, giving members from these communities a place to come together, empower each other, and plan for the future. In 2023, I’m excited to debut several more summits for our equity-seeking groups as we work to ensure everyone has a place and a voice in their union.

We have an important year ahead and it’s essential you are a part of that. I look forward to the victories, memories and growth we will experience in 2023.

A wave of purple intertwined in the busy crowds, and hundreds of nurses holding "Doug Ford Hurts Nurses" signs made me a very proud president. That day we sent a strong message - SEIU Nurses are showing up and are stronger than ever.

This year, we also challenged Ford's $5000 nursing retention bonus and reminded him that one-time bribes do nothing to fix the worst staffing crisis we’ve ever seen. We need long-term financial security, safe working environments, and mental health support.

In your workplaces, you continued to sound the alarm to your employer about short staffing, heavy workloads and unsafe conditions by filling out Workload Review Forms. To help support you in this, we revamped our online portal and empowered many new nurses to make their voices heard.

And in all three of our sectors, nurses played a critical role at the bargaining table, sharing stories and experiences, demanding better for all healthcare workers, and securing important victories for nurses. In 2023, as we look to go back and repair some of the damage done by Doug Ford’s Bill 124, I know our nurses will once again be fierce and make an impact.

As we come out of our most recent Nursing Convention, where our theme was “S.O.S. - Save Our System. Save Ourselves”, I am excited to work alongside your new executive board and continue to fight for the change nurses across this province desperately need and deserve.

To accomplish our goals, including a $35 minimum wage for RPNs, safer staffing levels and improved working conditions, it’s going to take every SEIU nurse stepping up and doing their part. So, whether it’s through online advocacy, a workplace action, a public rally, or at Queen’s Park or Parliament Hill, I look forward to seeing how you show up and contribute to our future success as nurses and union leaders. Let’s keep showing this government that NURSES SHOW UP.