April 14, 2005
The wage question
According to our calculations, we have lost seven per cent in buying power in the last 11 years. This takes into account our current wages, what our wages were in 1994 and increases in the cost of living since then. In our benefits package, we now have the hated $100 up-front dental deductible, prescription drug deductibles
and the new OHIP tax.
Our wage proposal to the employer would allow us to recover from the last ten years of backsliding. We also propose to attack those deductibles, and recover the money that we are out of pocket on the OHIP tax.
Doctors did well at six per cent annually, and Toronto Transit Commission employees are voting on three per cent per year for a three year deal. Wages are an important part of our collective agreement. We need to recover what we have lost and truly begin the task of rebuilding public services.
It’s time to fix the classification grievance process
Let’s say you are a support staff working at Conestoga College in Kitchener, and you perform the same work as another employee at the college. However, you are classified at a lower level. You grieve your classification. A single arbitrator or arbitration board then has the authority to decide the merits of your grievance and
can order you to be reclassified. The college is bound by the decision.
Let’s say you are a support staff working at Old City Hall courthouse in Toronto who performs the same work as another employee at the courthouse. However, you are classified at a lower level. You grieve your classification. Your grievance is added to a pile of 14,000 members’ grievances and special cases that are in line
ahead of you. No arbitrator or arbitration board is authorized to hear your grievance. It is almost certain that your grievance will never be resolved.
Most of the 14,000 members who claim they are wrongly classified have class standards which are years, if not decades, old. Often job specifications for their positions are hopelessly out of date as well. Many of these members deserve to be reclassified. It’s been more than ten years since OPS classification grievances have
been decided by an arbitrator. We deserve the same process that is in place in the colleges. It’s time!
Provincial Auditors Report
by Bob Houston, Central/Unified Bargaining Team, Administrative Category
Your bargaining team has been using as much research and background information as it can to support your demands at the table. One such document is the Provincial Auditors Report.
On a regular basis the Provincial Auditor releases a report on the way the government operates; it’s an accountability thing. I was of the opinion that the report dealt with the way the government spends taxpayer dollars; however, it covers more than just that. The latest report also deals with Human Resource (staffing)
issues.
The report was not very complementary with respect to the way that Management Board (through the Centre for Leadership & Human Resources Management) deals with its staff. Several areas were highlighted including the overuse of unclassified staff, classification system, the lack of dollars spent on training, and the inability
of the government to attract new employees or retain current employees. This information was gained from survey results of Ontario Public Service employees. The bargaining team has recognized several of your demands within that report and is currently discussing those issues with the employer (by the way, the employer has admitted to the auditor in a very
limited way that it recognizes that some problems do exist). Your continued support of the team is much appreciated.
For a full copy of the report visit the Internet site at www.auditor.on.ca/english/reports/reports_frame.htm scroll down the page, click on 2004 report then click on Human Resource Renewal.
Trust
The members of Local 638 have sent a large poster to the team that says they:
Truly
Respect
Understands
Support
Thank
Our Bargaining Team
When the bargaining team receives support like this, we know that we are doing the right things for the members. Support and trust for the team are interchangeable. The team has only one goal: To get the best possible contract for the members.
There are strategies for getting the best contract possible and, for obvious reasons, we can’t publish that information. To do so would be to show our hand to the employer and that would hinder us in getting the best possible deal.
You elected the team. You have elected the members that you thought were the right people for the job. It is not a leap of faith to continue to believe in the team. In the near future you may be asked for a strike vote. This is to show the employer that we are ready to do whatever it takes to back our demands. The team will
make a recommendation to the members based on whether it is the best possible deal. You are in control and you make the decision. You will be advised by the team what our belief is.
Trust will guide you.
Spotlight on your work
Lab Technician/Scientist
Ministry of the Environment
To complete many of their duties, Environment Officers rely on the expertise of many other professionals. For example, when water samples are collected, officers count on the expertise of lab technicians and scientists to have the samples processed and analysed.
Prior to 1996, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) had one central lab in Toronto and three regional labs in Thunder Bay, London and Kingston. In 1997 all regional labs were closed down. The impact of the lab closures was revealed during the aftermath of the Walkerton incident. In response to the Walkerton Inquiry, the Harris
Tories introduced more legislation instead of restoring laboratory services to pre-1996 levels. With only one central MOE laboratory, all samples collected by ministry field staff from across the province are funneled to this location. As well, MOE laboratory scientists use their extensive expertise to provide services to health units and police services
who are not able to provide such services.
The next time you drink a glass of water remember: Scientists and lab technicians play a key role in the safety of that precious resource, as well as many other things that we all rely on.
Administrative Support Staff (OAG 8)
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Support staff at the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Youth Justice Branch, are responsible for a wide variety of tasks that support probation service delivery for young offenders aged 12-18. There are approximately 90 members who support youth probation services as well as 100+ support staff in the adult system.
Their duties include data entry into the young offender data base (YOTIS) and generating reports for police and general supervision purposes. Staff finalize a host of reports and correspondence such as pre-sentence reports and crown briefing packages. One of the most responsible functions support staff do is sentence
calculation for youths who receive custody dispositions. With the changes in legislation from the Young Offenders Act (YOA) to the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), sentence calculation has become very complex.
These clerks are very much like office managers in that they ensure the smooth operation of all administrative tasks and other duties too numerous to list. The bargaining team is working hard to ensure they are properly compensated for the work that they perform.
The Sunshine Club – 14th edition
The Sunshine Club is the list of public service managers who earn over $100,000 per year. Here are the names for our 14th edition.
|
|
|
(Strike Year) |
(Non-Strike Year) |
Name |
Ministry |
Current Position |
2002 Salary |
2003 Salary |
Sharon Zwicker |
Ministry of Health & Long-Term
Care
|
Chief, Tertiary Care -
Penetanguishene |
$170,241 |
Under 100k |
Sophie Dennis |
Ministry of Labour
|
Director, Western Region |
$155,945 |
$ 112,785 |
Douglas Westlake |
Ministry of Attorney General
|
Manager, Court Operations,
Toronto |
$114,769 |
Under 100k |
Rob Kennedy |
Ministry of Natural Resources |
Manager, Corporate Advisory
Services, Peterborough |
$112,021 |
Under 100k |
Donald Andrijiw |
Ministry of Environment |
Supervisor, Assistant Director’s
Office
|
$111,129 |
Under 100k |
In Corrections:
Name |
Current Position |
2002 Salary |
2003 Salary |
Frank Srokosz
|
Operational Manager, Chatham Jail |
$156,814 |
Under 100k |
Kenneth Storey |
Operational Manager, Central East Correctional
Centre |
$150,199 |
Under 100k |
Mark Keating
|
Operational Manager, Windsor Jail |
$135,601 |
Under 100k |
Kelly Jolicoeur
|
Operational Manager, Fort Frances Jail |
$132,187 |
Under 100k |
Robert Galbraith
|
Area Manager, Probation and Parole,
Mississauga |
$123,298 |
Under 100k |
Your OPSEU OPS bargaining teams
Central/Unified team:
Marg Simmons (Chair), Central Enforcement and Renewal Committee
Linda Thibert, OPSEU Region 1
Doug Peebles, Region 2
Kathleen Demareski, Region 3
Rhéal Delaquis, Region 4
Paul Myers, Region 5
Eric Morin (Vice-Chair), Region 6
John Watson, Region 7
Bob Houston, Administrative category
Brian Chauvin, Corrections
Carl Thibodeau, Institutional & Health Care
Sandra Noad, Office Administration
Beth Anich, Office Administration
Ken Fraser, Technical/Operational & Maintenance
Moira Cowan, Unclassified members
centralubu@bellnet.ca
unclassified@bellnet.ca
Corrections team:
Jack Hopkins, OPSEU Region 1
Barry Scanlon (Chair), Region 2
Glenna Caldwell, Region 3
Robert Curran (Vice-Chair), Region 4
Dave Graves, Region 5
Joe Wright, Region 6
Len Mason, Region 7
corrections@bellnet.ca
The Source is your only accurate source of Central and Corrections bargaining team information. Do not rely on gossip and rumours. We will provide the facts. Your editors are Len Mason, Beth Anich and Moira Cowan. The Source is authorized for distribution by Barry Scanlon, chair, Corrections Team,
Marg Simmons, chair, Central Bargaining Team and Leah Casselman, president.
Download this issue .pdf
.gif){kind=small}
