TORONTO - Ontario Public Service employees have ratified a new collective agreement with the Ontario government, ending their 54-day strike.
Close to 45,000 workers were eligible to vote over the weekend.
Results were as follows:
Central bargaining unit (all employees): 78 per cent voted to accept the May 2 tentative agreement. Voter turnout was 52 per cent.
Unified category (comprising the former Administrative, Institutional & Health Care, Office Administration, and Technical/Operational & Maintenance categories): 81 per cent voted to accept the contract; turnout was 55 per cent.
Corrections category: 74 per cent voted to accept the contract; turnout was 75 per cent.
The employer had ratified the contract already.
In most cases, workers will report to work on Monday, May 6. Shiftworkers will be back on the job at the beginning of their first scheduled shift.
“This vote ends an important round of bargaining for our union,” said Leah Casselman, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. “We defended our pension rights and the OPSEU Pension Trust, we made progress for contract and part-time workers, and we made a big step towards recovering the wages
we’ve lost over the last decade.
“We are a force to be reckoned with,” said Casselman. “This fight is going to pay off, not only over the next three years, but also in our next round of bargaining - whomever the employer happens to be.”
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For more information:
Randy Robinson (416) 788-9134
Katie FitzRandolph (416) 788-9057
