I read a lot of depressing, infuriating and outright disgusting stories from the workplace here. Reading these make me thankful for what I have. I didn't come from money or power, I didn't sacrifice everything and work 100 hours a week to build an empire. I came from a lower middle class family, they helped where they could, but I took out student loans and got through university and my professional education.
I'm now in a place where I'm paid well enough (there's always room for more, but I can pay the bills), treated well and have a great relationship with my management group. I have decent benefits and a liveable pension. It wasn't the easiest road getting here, but I never had to “overcome the impossible”
But I'm not here to say how great work can be. I'm here to express my gratitude and encouragement to those who are fighting for reform. I was able to get where I am because of the tenacity and drive of those that came before me. They organized, they fought for rights, they stood up for their friends and colleagues. The work they did is why I have what I have.
The vast majority of Emergency Medical Services agencies in Canada are unionized. It has been this way for a very long time and it shows. We are a profession here. You can expect to have a career as a Paramedic here, you can retire with a pension.
I was recently recruited by a flight team just south of me, but across the border. They needed Critical Care Paramedics. My Canadian license is equivalent to CCP in that state, so it is just a matter of paperwork to get licensed and because I would be maintaining my Canadian residence and only “filling in”, the work visa process is easy. Then it came to the pay. Half of what I make. No benefits, no pension, just $22/hr as a flight paramedic with “possibility of increase based on performance”. How the hell do you measure “performance” in emergency services?
I have the luxury of declining the offer, but the people with similar training and the same dedication I do are paid half of what I do as a base rate and even less when you count pension and benefits. Companies like AMR (a Multi-Billion dollar EMS empire) are fighting to keep unions out. Huge for-profit hospital systems do everything they can to break unions. All in the name of profits. Not patients and not people, just profit.
This is why I support unionization. This is why I stand with those who are fighting for the rights of the worker. This is why I will do whatever I can to keep workers rights front and center. It is not an easy fight, but it is a noble one. You are building the foundations for those that come after you. Your hard work is allowing people like me to take what we learned in our fight to help arm others in theirs. Keep fighting the good fight and know that those of us that come next will appreciate your sacrifice and carry on your legacy.