Bargaining starts; Bob hits the road

You know you’re in bargaining when your boss comes around with his empty pockets hanging out.

Bob Richards, President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Ontario Property Assessment Corporation, is on tour. In his own way, Richards is trying to scare 2,000 OPSEU members into accepting less at the bargaining table.

Richards is going around Ontario telling workers that OPAC has no money. He says OPAC must cut costs. He says that if it doesn’t cut costs, all of us will be out of a job because municipalities will opt out of OPAC (under the law, they can start doing this for the assessment roll for the 2004 taxation year).

"Divestment to municipalities may threaten the job of Bob Richards, but it shouldn’t scare staff," said Will Presley, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. "As long as there’s property assessment, someone will need property assessment staff."

Presley noted that OPSEU members transferred from OPAC would be in a stronger position than Ontario Public Service employees who were transferred to OPAC. In 1995, Bill 7 stripped Crown Employees of the "successor rights" that allowed them to move with their jobs – and their collective agreement – if they were moved to a new employer.

Workers outside the OPS – including, now, all OPAC staff in the union – still have successor rights.

"The contract we get now, we’ll actually take with us if any of us are ever divested again," said Presley. "What we do in this round of bargaining will set the terms and conditions not only at OPAC, but at our next employer, if it comes to that."

Presley said the Bob Richards Tour ’99 proved that the union and the employer already agreed on one thing in this round of negotiations.

"Bob Richards wouldn’t be doing this tour if he didn’t know that the outcome of the talks hinges on how much support union members give their bargaining team. Weak support, weak contract; strong support, strong contract. We prefer the latter."

The first exchange of proposals between OPAC and the OPSEU team took place Nov. 1. To view the proposals, check the OPSEU web site. Upcoming editions of the Advocate will compare and contrast the two.

Contract staff get nothing if OPAC has its way

Over 500 contract staff working at the Ontario Property Assessment Corporation will get no improvements if the employer has its way.

That’s what the union bargaining team learned after exchanging proposals with the employer’s team Nov. 1.

"The union team has two major goals for contract staff," said team chair Will Presley, "and those are permanent jobs and recognition of seniority. OPAC is offering nothing."

Presley said there was no excuse for having one-quarter of staff on contract.

"Property assessment is a remarkably stable industry," he said. "It’s not as if the property is going anywhere. On top of that, annual reassessments will be standard practice by the year 2003. There’s no shortage of work to be done. Contract employees should have permanent jobs."

Most municipal collective agreements convert contract staff to permanent status after six months’ work.

"If OPAC is worried about losing work to municipalities, they might want to think about a strategy to retain workers right now," said Presley. "What trained young person is going to stay with OPAC on contract when they can get a permanent job with a municipality?

"OPAC’s future depends on job security for our newer staff."

It’s official: we’re a sector

OPSEU members in OPAC are now organized into their own sector within the union. OPSEU delegates to the OPAC sector meeting in Toronto Nov. 7 approved new bylaws. Delegates elected Bill Henry (Barrie) and Bill Robertson (Kingston) to the new executive. The OPSEU OPAC bargaining team appointed two members to the executive: Jennifer Reid (London) and Will Presley (North Bay).

The change gives members in OPAC a budget and a strong voice within OPSEU.

Keep in touch!

Over the last year, over 100 OPSEU members in OPAC offices across Ontario have served as contact people to keep the lines of communication open between members and the elected Assessment Transition Team. The system has worked well. The new bargaining team will communicate the same way. Got a question? Ask your local contact. Haven’t got a local contact? Get in touch with your nearest bargaining team member:

Will Presley, Chair, Local 633, North Bay
(705) 499-2213 (cell)  wpresley@opseu.org

Jennifer Reid, Vice-Chair, Local 105, London
(519) 657-4870 (h)  (519) 681-0050 (w)

Peter Thompson, Local 133, Windsor
(519) 969-1801 (h)  (519) 254-3771 x 219 (w)

Bill Henry, Local 322, Barrie
(705) 728-3480 (h)-800-461-4230 x 256 (w)
whenry@interhop.net

Larry Deschenes, Local 463, Kingston
(613) 531-8334 (h) (613) 545-4475 (w)
Local463opseu@email.com

Tina Faibish, Local 534, Toronto
(416) 691-0223 (h)  (416) 327-1742 (w)

Peter Thachuk, Local 534, Toronto
(416) 266-8830 (h)  (416) 327-1690 (w)

The team is assisted in bargaining by OPSEU Senior Negotiator Brian Gould and researcher Ruth Hamilton.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union
100 Lesmill Road, Toronto, Ontario M3B 3P8
web site: www.opseu.org e-mail: opseu@opseu.org

Original authorized for distribution by Leah Casselman, president.

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