Simcoe: Members of OPSEU Local 221 won their first wage increase in seven years and avoided a strike when they ratified a new agreement with the Norfolk Association for Community Living.

The 130 members who provide care for developmentally challenged people in the area, receive a 10-cent hourly increase retroactive to April 1, 1999. The top of scale salaries in the seven job classifications now range from $11.18 to $15.70 an hour. It took a 13-hour last-chance mediation session to create an agreement and avoid a strike. "Ten cents an hour doesn’t sound like much until you consider that these people haven’t had a raise in seven years and when you combine that with the other improvements, most of our members were satisfied", said Chief OPSEU Negotiator Virgery Vanier.

NACL management had continually said it couldn’t afford to give any wage increases because the Harris government had cut its base funding. "The membership turnout at our information picket last week and pressure on management from the families of people we provide care to, had an impact at the bargaining table" Vanier said.

The two year deal resolved many outstanding issues including overtime paid for all hours worked, benefit improvements for part time workers and the creation of the new job classification of Shuttle Driver. The agreement provides a new protocol for workplace harassment. Management is now required to notify the union and respond to written harassment complaints within 48 hours. Management has also agreed to negotiate an accommodation protocol in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. The union has also won the right for probationary employees to grieve dismissal for cause, a right that the Harris government removed from the Labour code. The agreement also provides significant bereavement leave benefits. Leave for a child or spouse including common law or same-sex spouse is now five days up to an including the second day following the funeral and three days for all other family members.

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For further information:

Bill Trbovich 416-561-5613/443-8888 ext. #793
Patty Tchorek 519-426-5708

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