Essex County Council has ratified the tentative deal with CUPE Local 2974.2

Essex County Council has ratified the tentative deal with CUPE Local 2974.2, the County said tonight. The union's 300+ Essex-Windsor EMS paramedics and support staff vote Thursday through Tuesday. Terms stay private until then.

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The County of Essex announced the council decision in a news release Wednesday night, Oct. 7, 2026. CUPE Local 2974.2 represents more than 300 paramedics and support staff with Essex-Windsor EMS, the County says.

What happens next

The agreement remains subject to ratification by union members. The County's bargaining team endorsed the agreement, and the union's bargaining team is recommending ratification to its members, the County says. It will not release details until the ratification process is complete.

CUPE Ontario said on Oct. 6 that members would begin voting Thursday and have until the following Tuesday to cast ballots.

"I'm proud of our members for holding firm and I'm happy to be bringing this deal back," CUPE 2974 president James Jovanovic said in the union's Oct. 6 release.

"Our paramedics and support staff provide vital services every day, often under extraordinarily challenging circumstances. This tentative agreement reflects the importance of that work," Essex County Warden Hilda MacDonald said in the County release.

Background

The two sides reached the tentative three-year agreement on Oct. 5, days before a possible strike. In its Oct. 6 release, the County said the agreement would be retroactive to April 1, 2026, when the previous collective agreement expired, if ratified. A strike had been possible as early as Friday, Oct. 9, the union said.