November 3 2002

Employer stalling to avoid bargaining ROH transfers, layoffs

The Ontario Labour Relations Board convened a meeting between OPSEU and the Royal Ottawa Nov. 7 in Ottawa to resolve a complaint filed by Local 439 in Brockville and Local 479 in Ottawa. The two locals went to the Board to: 1) force the hospital to give union accurate information on salary rates, benefits, seniority and other issues for the purposes of bargaining, closure and transfer timelines and plans; and 2) stop the unilateral transfers of work and staff between Ottawa and Brockville. Another important issue was to restart bargaining as many issues could be settled without arbitration.

The employer claimed not to understand our demands for information and did not consider our requests to be serious. We said accurate information on layoffs and transfers would help us decide whether we were bargaining a ‘normal’ agreement or one which was about severance and the windup of operations. The hospital only wants to give us general information until after it makes its decisions, when it would be too late to demand changes. Information on placement on the grid, seniority and benefits is critical to bargaining a ‘normal’ agreement. Without it we cannot properly represent you.

The hospital offered the bargaining information in the “normal format.” We had asked for it in electronic format so we could share it to prepare for bargaining or arbitration. The hospital proposed one day of bargaining in January. The hospital would not stop the closures or transfers of work and employees, or give us any real information on their plans.

Our response

We replied that we still wanted the information on closures and transfers and that the complaint should go to hearing on those issues. We were prepared to discuss the bargaining information format and a bargaining agenda of more than one day if the hospital was prepared to separate this issue. The hospital would not agree to do this. We have no choice but to go to hearing on the unfair labour practice charges and prepare the arbitration hearing as well.

Employer breaking the law

The Royal Ottawa has done everything to stall bargaining so closures and transfers cannot be part of negotiations, while blaming the Ministry and the union for delays. This same employer has a history of hiding information and attempting to operate as if there is no union. OPSEU Local 439, Local 479 at the Ottawa site and CUPE have all faced similar problems and CUPE is an interested party to our complaint. OPSEU 479 has recently received layoff notices and has been told some of these would be eliminated by the transfer of beds from Brockville. Our local has never received any official notification or timetable for these changes.

Withholding this information is a violation of the Ontario Labour Relations Act. The Royal Ottawa is breaking the law and they know it. OPSEU intends to stop this however we can. The local asked for your help in our last newsletter. Don’t wait any longer!

Authorized by your OPSEU Local 439 bargaining team:

Walter Belyea, Negotiator, David McDougall, President Local 439, Rose Philips VP and Bargaining Chair Office Service and Clerical, and Byron Boone, Unit Steward and Chair, Paramedical. Contact us at: rphillip@rohcg.on.ca;  bboone@rohcg.on.ca ; or dmcdouga@rohcg.on.ca  

This bulletin is being sent to keep you informed about collective bargaining. For more information, contact your steward or a team member, or visit OPSEU’s web site at http://www.opseu.org.  

Authorized for Distribution: Leah Casselman, President