Wednesday, October 29, 2025
With the first bargaining date for AMAPCEO’s Public Health Ontario (PHO) unit set for next week, the AMAPCEO PHO Bargaining Team is ready and eager to begin the work of securing a new collective agreement for PHO members.
The PHO Bargaining Team brings a wealth of experience to the table, with both members serving as AMAPCEO activists for over a decade.
Ellen Chan began volunteering with the union in 2014, serving as a Workplace Representative (WPR) before taking on an additional role from 2018 to 2022 as a PHO Employee Relations Committee (ERC) Representative.
Maurice Coppin, an activist for over 13 years, also began as a WPR, eventually expanding his participation in the union to include work as a WPR Mentor, an ERC Representative, District Delegate, and member of the Resolutions Committee.
It is perhaps unsurprising that the Bargaining Team members for Public Health cite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as a critical point in their advocacy: “Staff were overwhelmed, and I worked closely with colleagues to ensure their concerns around safety and workload were heard and addressed,” said Coppin. “That experience reinforced the importance of strong representation and advocacy in the workplace.”
Chan notes that at the beginning of the pandemic, she felt her role to be particularly important, as she “advocated for fair protections, support, and compensation for staff.”
But the outbreak of the pandemic is just one stark example of how incredibly important the work of PHO members is—work that, as Coppin says, “is foundational to public health in Ontario.”
“From outbreak response to surveillance, our efforts directly impact the health and safety of communities,” he continued. “Being unionized strengthens this work by ensuring that equity, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in our collective agreement. It also provides a platform for members to advocate for fair and supportive working conditions that reflect the values of the communities we serve.”
Chan agrees on the value of both the work PHO members do and the importance of that work being done by unionized professionals: “AMAPCEO-represented staff at PHO are dedicated public health professionals with a shared underlying purpose to promote and protect the health of Ontarians. In the context of ongoing governmental pressures and cut-backs, unionized supports are critical in supporting members in maintaining and improving the quality of their work experience and compensation, recognizing and enabling them to do their best work for everyone living in Ontario.”
That is why, they both say, it is so important for PHO members to be willing to have patience for the bargaining process, but take action and stand with their bargaining team when called.
Chan notes that, though PHO is a smaller bargaining unit, that is only more reason why members need to be willing to “make their voices heard” during bargaining. “Changing your meeting video background or other small actions of solidarity recommended by AMAPCEO will play an important role in demonstrating to management that we are all united and support the issues and priorities raised by the bargaining team,” she emphasizes.
“Bargaining is a shared journey,” Coppin adds. “I encourage everyone to stay engaged, ask questions, and support one another. Your voice matters, and together, we can shape a workplace that reflects our shared values and needs.”
The PHO Bargaining Team is well-prepared to represent these shared values and needs at the table. The results of the unit-wide bargaining survey have been read and analyzed, and the team as met to prepare for bargaining, with the first official bargaining date set for early November.
PHO members should up to date on the latest bargaining developments by keeping an eye on their email inbox and visiting amapceo.ca/bargaining/pho.