We’re still aiming for a contract settlement by April 1, and that means we are moving the process of negotiations along.

The next step in that process is conciliation.

What happens now, is that the Ministry of Labour appoints a conciliation officer. For this round of bargaining, the person appointed is John Mather. He is a very experienced conciliator with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

This is how conciliation works.

We’ve been bargaining since November, and we’ve made progress. Some of the easier issues have been resolved. The thornier ones have not been.

At this point, it is often helpful to have a third party come in to help union and management find compromises. That person is the conciliation officer (also known as conciliator).

Our conciliator will join us for our scheduled dates on March 2/3 and probably for the last scheduled session March 29-31.

During these meetings, we would expect to have some face-to-face meetings with the employer. We would also expect that the conciliator would have meetings with the two sides individually.

This process allows the conciliator to explore possible approaches to settlement, without either party having to commit to a course of action. The conciliator can go to the employer and ask if the employer would make Move A if the union made Move B. Then the conciliator would come to us, and ask if we would make Move B, if they made Move A. With this agreement in hand, the conciliator would bring the parties together, and both could make their moves, secure that they would get the corresponding move in return.

That oversimplifies it, but gives you the general idea.

Conciliation has a second role – it is a necessary first step before there can be a legal strike or lockout.

If the conciliation officer decides that any further effort to bring the parties together is hopeless, he will issue what is called a "no board report." The "no board" starts the clock ticking toward a legal strike deadline.

This actually helps the negotiation process.

Because conciliation includes both the helpful efforts of a skilled conciliator, and the looming of an important deadline, it brings negotiations into a sharper focus.

Both sides are faced with possible consequences of failing to reach a settlement, and both have access to a process designed to help them reach agreement.

This is where we stand at the moment.

Some members will be thinking ahead to the next possible developments in our bargaining. It is important that we all look ahead.

If conciliation fails, it is possible we could be in a lock-out or strike situation. This could happen as early as April. At the same point, the employer could really antagonize us by unilaterally changing any of the terms/conditions of our employment.

Your bargaining team is committed to achieving a decent first contract that addresses the priorities you set (the top three were wages, job security and pensions).

Only if bargaining has reached an impasse will we be considering asking you for a strike mandate. But it is clear that this employer is not generous and jealously guards it’s control over your working life.

We have a major advantage, due the Governments enactment of an "opt out" clause. This employer is trying to demonstrate it’s abilities to our clients who will soon have the option to secede from OPAC. Any disruption in our work will seriously impact on OPAC and the upcoming reassessment. We have evaluated our position and know that we can win this fight. They may have to be convinced just how serious and strong we are.

You should start planning your life so that if we are forced to take serious job action your finances are not threatening your well-being. That way, when we are successful in getting a good agreement you will have the means to celebrate!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us. We’re working on your behalf to achieve the best possible contract for all our members. We want you to understand and know what is happening, and we appreciate your feedback.