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Newsletter: Impact
Volume 12,
Issue 2 • June 22, 2012
We’ll get by with a little help…from our kids
MPAC’s Friends, Family and Favorites program is alive and well, especially
within the ranks of the management “elites.”
This
year, 2,500 students applied for the summer program. 100 have been hired so
far, and the percentages are exactly what we would expect.
Of
the 100 hired, 47 per cent are related to MPAC employees. Of this 47 per
cent, 60 per cent are family of bargaining unit members, and 40 per cent are
family or friends of management. A few have been identified as the
offspring of some Executive Management Group members. We checked our
numbers, and even used a few fingers and toes to do the math. We’re pretty
sure this proportion of student hires is a little out of whack.
But
that’s ok. Our CEO is very in favour of keeping hiring in the
family…especially his own child. Even the #2 in Human Resources has added
her two children to the payroll for the summer.
Coincidentally, a number of these students are also going to be allowed to
work from home.
The survey
SAYS!!
We thank the 571
members who completed and returned the vest survey. This is a far better
rate of return than what management typically receives on their internal
surveys.
So…what are the
results?
Q. Do you like the vest
recently implemented by your employer as a pilot project?
The survey says: NO!
(93%).
Q. Do you feel the vest
represents MPAC professionally?
The survey says: NO!
(95%)
Q. Have you received
any feedback from the public?
The survey says: YES!
(84.4%)
Q. What type of
feedback have you received?
The survey says:
Negative feedback (43.3%); Unsure they like the new image (33.3%).
Q. What do you think of
the “one size fits all” concept for the vest?
The survey says: Does
NOT work! (71.3%).
But the percentages
don’t really tell the whole tale. The opinions on the vest (from staff AND
the public) ranged from “cheap-looking” to “unprofessional” to
“embarrassing” to “ridiculous” to “tacky” to “hideous”. Almost everyone
agreed (including many members of the public) that staff wearing them look
like Wal Mart greeters, or, in some opinions, crossing guards.
We believe these
comments sum it up best: “Had numerous property owners state they felt it
was another way MPAC was wasting their tax dollars” and “This is a perfect
example of senior management being completely out of touch with the
front-line core business.”
Finally, to clear up
one question from the survey, the answer is no…the vests don’t come with a
red stick-on nose and big yellow shoes.
Class
action
doesn’t include MPAC
Some correspondence has
come out of a few locals regarding a class action lawsuit filed by OPSEU
against the Ontario government regarding members who were divested to
Community Care Access Centres and suffered losses in their HOOPP pension
plan.
The groups received a
lump sum payout for the fact that they had language in their divestment
agreements that promised they would be compensated if they were short on
pension benefits because of the divestment.
MPAC did not have any
such language or guarantees at the time of divestment. The UMC has prepared
and sent a letter to OPSEU President Smokey Thomas as a matter of courtesy
to these members, but it should be noted that MPAC’s divestment situation is
different from the aforementioned groups. To read the details of the class
action, go to:
http://www.opseu.org/benefit/may-23-2012_CCAClawsuitupdate.htm
Follow the
chain
This is a reminder to
all members that you must follow the proper chain in order to refer matters
to the UMC.
Local issues must first
be addressed at the local level. The first step is to have a discussion
about the issue with your local steward. The steward should hold a meeting
with local management and/or the HR Business Partner in your zone about the
issue. If you receive information back from the employer, inform your
steward and keep them involved at all stages of discussions.
Your OPSEU staff rep
should be utilized as a resource as well, especially in cases of grievance
wording when the Collective Agreement has been violated. At this point, it
is the decision and responsibility of the individual to file a grievance if
needed.
If the issue does not
contravene the Collective Agreement, but persists as an issue that needs to
addressed, inform your local UMC Representative. Please use e-mail for all
communications, so that we have a record of the discussions and review the
issue.
Kudos
Korner
Size matters
In one of our larger
eastern offices, a new office is under construction for the new HR business
partner…or at least that’s what was thought. There’s a certain Director of
Business Properties – who shall remain nameless – that found out this office
was larger than his. Claiming eminent domain, the Director will move into
this office instead.
(Not) Thinking ahead
Thanks to poor
management and poor planning of workloads, some Residential/Farm managers
are “advising” that staff will not be able to take more than two consecutive
weeks of vacation in light of the upcoming assessment update.
We interrupt this
program…
Speaking of time off
from work, rumour has it that a Director and some underling managers
recently enjoyed a brief vacation of their own, albeit unpaid and
unscheduled.
Ornge ya glad for this
link?
Don’t forget OPSEU’s
“Orange” Management Waste Line at
http://opseu.org/notices/orngeline/index.htm. We’re pretty sure
MPAC members might have a story or two to contribute. It’s easy, and totally
confidential.
Stay in
touch!
To
ensure a speedy response to your questions, your leadership team has divided
up all MPAC offices in the province. If you have a question or a comment,
please contact the team member responsible for your office. Contact us by
e-mail at work or at home, as follows:
David Lynch, Chair:
Bracebridge, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Barrie, Brockville, Cornwall,
Pembroke, Trenton, Bancroft & Kingston
E-mail:
opseu409@yahoo.ca ;
david.lynch@mpac.ca
Peter McClenaghan, Vice Chair:
St. Catharines, Goderich, Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener & Brantford
E-mail:
pmcclenaghan2020@yahoo.com ;
peter.mcclenaghan@mpac.ca
Everett Kelly:
Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto & Peterborough
E-mail:
evkelly@rogers.com ;
everett.kelly@mpac.ca
David Fong:
North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort
Francis & Dryden
E-mail: visor243@nt.net ;
david.fong@mpac.ca
Steve Kovacs:
Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton & Parry Sound
E-Mail:
stevekovie@hotmail.com ;
steve.kovacs@mpac.ca
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff
Negotiator
E-mail: malvarado@opseu.org
OPSEU ImpacT is
produced by the Property Assessment Division of the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas,
president.
MPAC Newsletter
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