January 9, 2009

This contract is your contract

Fair wages. Increased benefits. Improved job security. Gains for unclassifieds.

This is what you asked for in your next collective agreement. And your bargaining teams have delivered.

In the early hours on Dec. 24, after months of preparations, demand-setting, hundreds of meetings and massive mobilizing, the Central and Unified Bargaining Teams reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario Government for the next Central and Unified collective agreements.

Your new collective agreement delivers on the items you said were your top priorities for the contract. Which is why your bargaining teams unanimously recommend that all members covered by the Central and Unified agreements vote to accept this tentative agreement.

In these agreements, you will get a fair wage increase. You will get dozens of improvements to the OPS benefit package, including new coverages and a reduction in the dental deductible. You will get better protections if your job is at risk. You will get the creation of OPS jobs, not job loss. You will get increases to shift premiums, meal allowances and on call pay. You will get major gains for unclassified members. And you will get it with Ontario facing the worst economy in the past 20 years.

This didn’t happen by accident. A lot of factors played a role..

You had a bargaining team that not only did a tremendous amount of work in preparing positions for the start of bargaining, but exhibited cooperation and determination that was unparalleled in any previous round. There was an employer who actually came to the table with a willingness to negotiate. And the biggest factor of them all was YOU - the members of the OPS. Lead by a group of dedicated and tireless mobilizers, you took action across the province like never before. Demonstrations, leafleting and workplace events had such a huge impact on the employer that the reverberations were felt at the bargaining table. This was exactly what the teams needed.

While there are a couple of minor concessions in the agreement, they are minimal compared to the gains that were achieved.

“From the beginning, you told us that all you wanted was a fair and reasonable contract,” said Eric Morin, Chair of the Central/Unified teams. “That’s what we told the employer, and that’s what we got for you. Every team member knows that what we negotiated is everything we could get from the employer at the bargaining table. We are all very proud of this agreement.”

The members of the Central and Unified bargaining teams thank you for the massive amount of support they received during this round. OPSEU President Smokey Thomas echoes their appreciation.

“It is always the members that make the difference in every round of negotiations, especially in the OPS,” Thomas said. “Without you, the teams are powerless. This round, you went above and beyond the call. That, combined with a very talented bargaining team and professional staff support, is the reason we now have an agreement.”

On Jan. 17, 2009, OPS local presidents (or highest-ranking) will meet in Toronto to hear the details directly from the bargaining teams. On Jan. 27-29, members across the province will vote on the tentative agreements. Details on vote locations will be released as soon as they are available.

Get out and vote!

Every member needs to get out to vote. This is where you get your final say on your collective agreement. Remember: a high voter turnout sends a strong message to the employer. That message will carry through to the next round of bargaining.

Make sure you have all the information you need, and watch the OPSEU website for vote location information in your area.

Summary of changes in the 2009-2012 OPS Collective Agreement

This is a general summary only. Detailed explanations of all of the collective agreement changes for the Central Tentative Agreement are available here.

For the Unified Tentative Agreement, go here.

The full text of both the signed Central and Unified tentative agreements is available at here (Central) and here (Unified). All agreements are subject to ratification by the employer and the union.

Central Agreement

·         Four-year agreement - Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2012

·         Reduction of the dental deductible to $50 per year

·         Major restorative dental coverage increased to $2,000 per year from $1,200

·         Pit and fissure coverage for children age 6-18 effective April 1

·         90 per cent coverage for vaccines

·         The cost of eye exams now covered in addition to the $340 allowance every two years.

·         Employer to pay 100 per cent of the premiums on vision and hearing aid coverage

·         Better protections to prevent jobs being moved out of the OPSEU bargaining unit

·         Increased opportunities for job-threatened employees to redeploy

·         The creation of 230 new Information and Information Technology positions

·         The creation of more than 130 new ODSP positions, with a reduction in caseload levels

·         Improvements to the grievance process to promote earlier resolution of complaints

·         New scheduling language for court workers

·         Improvements for court clerks and court registrars with respect to garment replacements

·         Previously negotiated improvements for court workers now enshrined in collective agreement and grievable

·         New language on flexible work hours

·         Improvements for unclassified employees on seniority provisions, reporting pay and bereavement leave

·         Unclassifieds to move through wage grid based on actual hours worked

·         Unclassified members’ holiday pay increases from 4 per cent to 4.6 per cent in recognition of Family Day

·         Unclassified and Seasonal workers no longer penalized for using attendance credits

·         RPTs and seasonal employees have access to posted jobs

·         Wage increases for student employees

Unified Agreement

·         A wage increase of 1.75 per cent in the first year (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2009), and 2 per cent per year in the remaining three years

·         Increases for special cases for Conservation Officers, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Physical Laboratory Technicians, Nurses, Geoscientists, Safety Instruction Officers, Senior Marine Engineers, Vessel Masters and Waste and Water Project Operators

·         Shift premium increased to $0.88 per hour effective date of ratification, and to $0.98 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2011

·         On-call rates increased to $1.25 per hour effective date of ratification, and to $1.40 effective Jan. 1, 2011

·         Overtime meal allowance increased from $6.00 to $11.25

·         Max + merit increase (which could be withheld by the employer) is now converted to step on the wage grid

·         A new classification for Systems Officers

·         Custodial Responsibility Allowance increases from $2,000 to $2,500 per year

·         Welfare Field Worker receives additional step on grid

Your 2008-2009 OPS Central / Unified Bargaining Teams

Eric Morin, Chair                           CERC Rep

Dennis Wilson                                Region 1 Rep

Anne Pereira                                   Region 2 Rep

Roxanne Barnes, Vice-Chair          Region 3 Rep

Chris Cormier                                 Region 4 Rep

Shelley McCormick                        Region 5 Rep

Jim Finnigan                                   Region 6 Rep

Carl Thibodeau                               Region 7 Rep

Karrie Ouchas                                Administrative Rep

Derek Miller                                   Corrections Rep

Jennifer Roukkula                          Institutional Health Care Rep

Lynda Ferguson                             Office Admin Rep

Alicia Czekierda                             Office Admin Rep

Dan Vincent                                   Oper. & Maint./Technical Rep

Nathan Aubin                                 Unclassified Rep

 

Original authorized for distribution:

Eric Morin, Chair
Central/Unified Team

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President
Ontario Public Service Employees Union

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