Toronto: Five strikes are over but two continue after community
living units in Chatham, Middlesex and Meaford ratified new
collective agreements this weekend.
About 700
workers in two units in London and Picton remain on strike. The
local in London has been on strike almost two months, while the
Picton strike is nearing the end of its first week.
Ontario Public
Service Employees Union Local 235 in Meaford signed a tentative
agreement with the employer Aug. 10 and ratified the new deal
Aug. 11. Community Living Meaford employees are now back to
work.
On Aug. 11,
OPSEU Local 144 in Middlesex and Local 148 in Chatham-Kent
community living units signed tentative deals which included
back-to-work protocols with no reprisals. Both ratified Aug. 12
and are returning to work.
Last week
Local 151 in St. Thomas and Local 161 in Tillsonburg also
ratified new deals and returned to work.
In London,
negotiators are frustrated by the employer’s unwillingness to
sign a regular back-to work protocol, with a no discipline and
no reprisals clause. This standard protocol was agreed to by the
employers of the other bargaining units that returned to work
this week.
“We are
frustrated by this lack of progress on what should be a
straightforward matter,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey)
Thomas. “Our members want to get back to work.”
The dispute in
Prince Edward is over wages and health and safety issues.
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