Steelworkers vote to launch Group Health Centre lawsuit

Members of Algoma Steel's largest collective bargaining unit have voted tonight to launch legal proceedings to fight the de-rostering of its members by Group Health Centre.

In voting during two meetings at the Marconi Multicultural Event Centre, the membership of United Steelworkers Local 2251 agreed to authorize the cost of filing an injunction and lawsuit.

The measures were approved by a "good percentage" of members present, local president Mike Da Prat told SooToday.

Local 2251 represents 2,184 hourly-rated workers at Algoma Steel.

Its members played a key role in founding the institution, which for many years was regarded as a model for delivery of health services.

Until 2012, the union local had representation on the centre's governing board.

"We're trying to get the injunction in by May 31 to stop [the de-rostering] and then we're going to proceed to get the Group Health Centre back," Da Prat said.

"The objective is to get the Group Health Centre back. We want to get the board structure back the way it was [before 2012], and we want to make sure that it's recognized that the people that built the Group Health Centre are the members of the Group Health Centre, along with other people."

"If there's a case where some enrolment needs to be reduced, it's going to have to be done on the basis of the people that came last. The other thing is, people should remain members of the group. And as doctors come in, they should be on a priority list for obtaining doctors.

"That's the way the intent once was. It was never intended to be career choices or retirements of doctors would affect the membership of the patients," Da Prat said.

"The Group Health Centre is ours. And it was simply taken away from us."