A new contract may be near for Windsor-Essex paramedics.
The County of Essex announced Thursday afternoon that it had reached a tentative agreement with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2974.2, which represents about 300 paramedics with Essex-Windsor EMS.
Terms were not immediately disclosed.
"Our paramedics work tirelessly on the front lines, always putting patients first, and this tentative agreement acknowledges their professionalism and hard work and the difficult nature of their jobs," said Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter in a media release.
The deal is retroactive to April 1, 2022, when the previous contract expired, meaning paramedics were working without a contract for over a year. The union voted unanimously in favour of strike action in February, but the paramedics have continued working.
"Both sides negotiated with professionalism and in good faith, and it was heartening to take part in frank and fruitful discussions that yielded a tentative agreement that lays such a solid foundation for the future," said County of Essex Human Resources Director Kristie Cronin.
County Council has already approved the agreement, and a ratification vote has yet to be scheduled.
