FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005
OPSEU members to vote on contract offer;
"Reject" says bargaining teams
TORONTO - On Wed., May 25, 2005 members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union will begin three days of voting on a contract offer that their bargaining teams unanimously recommend they reject. Member rejection of the government's "final" offer will give bargaining teams a strike mandate; however, no strike
deadline has been set. The contract offer affects over 42,000 Ontario government employees.
OPSEU President Leah Casselman said she expects that members will follow the recommendation of the bargaining teams and reject a contract offer that doesn't come anywhere close to what her members expected in their next collective agreement.
"This is not a contract offer, it is an insult to the men and women who deliver professional public services in the provinces," Casselman said. "Dalton McGuinty was elected to do better than this. It's time he started living up to his promises."
Casselman said that none of her members want to take strike action, but the McGuinty Liberals have to substantially improve their contract offer. "Obviously, no OPSEU member wants to go on strike," Casselman said. "However, our members have already paid for eight years of Tory devastation. Dalton McGuinty has to start
repairing the damage, and Step 1 is to come to a fair agreement with his own employees. Together, we can then work on rebuilding Ontario's public services."
The government has offered two per cent a year in a three-year deal that would also eliminate early retirement provisions, eliminate separation pay and reduce or eliminate termination pay - concessions designed to make it cheaper for the government to proceed with its planned 6,000 layoffs over the next few years.
The results of the contract vote will be made available at 6 p.m. on Sat., May 28. Leah Casselman will be available for media interviews on the vote days. Please see below for dates and times.
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For further information:
OPSEU Communications: Don Ford, (416) 788-9104
Leah Casselman's media availability - May 25, 26, 27
May 25th
0830-0930 - Toronto
Delta Chelsea Inn
Churchill Room
1600 - Hamilton*
Ramada Plaza, 150 King Street East,
Pavillion A
*Leah Casselman will vote at this location.
May 26th
1200 - Kitchener
Howard Johnson (Blair Room)
1333 Weber Street East
May 27th
0830 - Guelph
CAW Hall
611 Silvercreek Pkwy North
