She fought for a raise 26 years ago. ‘Absurd’ delays mean practical nurses at Niagara Health are still waiting – CBC

Ontario region’s hospital system says it’s still sorting out issues with union in pay equity case

Dec 05, 2024

When Sandra Commerford asked for a raise from a St. Catharines, Ont., hospital in 1998, the registered practical nurse (RPN) was confident she had a strong, open and shut case.

Commerford and upwards of 100 other RPNs had started administering medication to patients — a new responsibility that required months of additional training, transformed the job and should have translated to higher wages, Commerford said.

Over a quarter of a century later, she’s among dozens of other practical nurses who are still waiting for compensation.

“I was an excellent nurse and I loved my job,” Commerford told CBC Hamilton.

“But it was very difficult knowing every day we were being denied equal pay.”

At age 71 and retired, Commerford said she could be owed tens of thousands of dollars in back pay from her former employer, Niagara Health.