X-Ray, ultrasound technologists and other medical workers on strike in Windsor

About 130 workers who work for Clear Medical Imaging, including X-ray and ultrasound technologists, are on strike.

Members of Unifor Local 2458 went on strike Friday morning after the union and the private company failed to reach a collective agreement, the union says.

"Our members have been left with no choice but to strike to demand fair treatment and respect for the critical role they play in providing imaging services to the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent communities," Lana Payne, Unifor national president, said in a media release.

"The union remains ready to return to the bargaining table, but the employer must address the core issues impacting our members."

In Windsor, workers stood outside in the grey morning Friday wearing raincoats and holding signs that said "On strike."

"A very difficult round of bargaining, to say the least," said Mike Kisch, vice-president of Unifor 2458.

"I've been involved in a lot of rounds of bargaining, and I've never had one quite like this."

Some of the key issues include benefits, wages, working conditions, contracting out work and getting union representation for staff, the union says. 

The union is also asking for wage parity, so that their pay aligns with regional standards and to ensure job security.

"Health-care privatization in Ontario continues to create conditions where profits take precedence over people and workers are left to face the consequences," said Unifor Local 2458 president Ken Durocher.

"We are prepared to stand firm until a fair deal is reached."

A notice posted on the Clear Imaging website Friday said the company is "currently experiencing a strike."

"At this time, all facilities are closed and we are not providing services," the notice reads. "We are hopeful the strike will end quickly, and once over we will work quickly to reschedule all appointments."

The union members work at 11 Clear Medical Imaging locations in the Windsor, Chatham, Tecumseh, LaSalle and Essex area.

Dr. Isser Dubinsky is a senior fellow and adjunct professor in the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. 

He says that while the strike will certainly impact patients, urgent tests shouldn't be impacted because the clinics are private. 

"Another factor is that not every diagnostic imaging procedure, and particularly those that are done in the community as opposed to say a hospital, is in and of itself an emergency," he said.

"In fact, they are most likely not emergencies ... which is not to deny or denigrate the concerns of the people who are waiting for the tests, but it is important to realize that people who need emergent or urgent access to these kinds of tests will still be getting it in an unfettered way in hospitals."

But, Dubinsky said, the strike is likely to cause a backlog of people waiting for tests. It will be up to the company to determine how to handle that — but people seeking tests shouldn't attend the hospital unless it's an emergency. 

"They may ask people to work overtime or they may extend their hours of service. That may mean that some people will wind up going to the hospital in the hopes that they can get these tests done ... that would certainly create a backlog in the emergency department," he said. "I think that would be the biggest implication."