Vote information for OPS locals and members
Questions and answers about the upcoming
contract vote by OPSEU members in the Ontario Public Service
1. How will the vote be conducted?
The law says the vote must be by secret ballot
and that those entitled to vote must have “ample opportunity.” The law requires
the time and place for voting to be “reasonably convenient.”
2. Who can vote?
By law, all employees in the bargaining unit(s)
represented by OPSEU are eligible to vote. That includes all OPSEU members and
OPSEU non-members, including part-time, casual, temporary, seasonal employees
with recall rights and other non-classified employees. It includes those who
have not signed union cards. Members on Long Term Income Protection (LTIP),
Worker’s Compensation, maternity and other leaves are also entitled to vote.
3. When is the vote?
Voting will take place on Jan. 27, 28 and 29.
4. Where will I vote?
Each Area Coordinating Group (ACG) is
responsible for organizing the vote locations. Locals will be grouped together
in one central location, as much as possible. The vote will be scheduled to
accommodate shift work. The OPSEU Regional Offices will be responsible for
making the necessary vote location arrangements.
5. When will I know when and where to vote?
Voting takes place on Jan. 27, 28 and 29. The
Regional Offices will inform the Locals on the locations and times of the voting
on those dates. The Locals are then responsible for giving reasonable
notification of the date, time and location of the vote meetings. Notices should
be posted in all worksites seven days prior to the vote. OPSEU Head Office will
prepare a standard notice form to use to advertise the vote.
6. Have the bargaining units changed?
No. The bargaining unit remain the same as they
did in the previous round of bargaining - two “category” agreements (Corrections
and Unified) and one Central agreement.
7. What issues are negotiated at the
bargaining unit tables?
Wages, hours of work, overtime, on-call,
standby, shift schedules and training and other issues agreed to by the union
and the employer may be negotiated at the two bargaining unit tables (Unified
bargaining unit and Corrections bargaining unit).
8. What issues are negotiated at the Central
table?
Generally, the law requires that issues that
cover all employees in the OPS are negotiated at the central table: this
includes job security, the grievance procedure, insured benefits and pensions.
In this round, the parties have agreed that the employer’s sick-leave proposals
can be negotiated at the Corrections table.
9. What will the ballots say?
Each ballot will offer a clear choice. For
Central and Unified, the ballots will read:
Yes, I approve the tentative settlement.
No, I reject the tentative settlement and
authorize the bargaining team to call a strike if necessary.
For Corrections, the ballot will read:
Yes, I accept the employer’s offer received
December 24, 2008.
No, I reject the employer’s offer and
authorize the bargaining team to call a strike if necessary.
10. What are the bargaining teams
recommending?
The Central Team recommends that all members
(Unified and Corrections) vote YES to the Central tentative agreement, which
covers all OPS members.
The Unified Team recommends that all members in
the Unified bargaining unit vote YES to the tentative agreement.
The Corrections Team recommends that all members
in the Corrections bargaining unit vote NO to the employer’s offer.
11. Is it possible to vote YES on Central
issues, and vote NO on Bargaining Unit issues, or vice versa?
Yes. Any combination of acceptance and rejection
votes is possible in the three categories of Central, Unified Bargaining Unit or
Corrections Bargaining Unit.
This OPS vote is unique in that the union is
asking members to vote YES to the Central and Unified tentative agreements and
NO to the Corrections employer offer.
12. What happens if I vote YES to Central,
and YES to either Unified or Corrections?
If you vote YES to the Central agreement, or the
Unified agreement, or the Corrections employer offer, that means you accept the
offer and agree to ratify it as your new collective agreement.
13. What happens if I vote NO to Central, or
Unified, or Corrections?
If you vote NO, you authorize your bargaining
teams to return to bargaining and, if it becomes necessary, call a strike to
obtain a better offer.
14. How can I get information about the final
offer?
Table Talk, Central and Unified Edition,
detailed notes on the tentative agreements and the full text of the actual
agreements are all available on the OPSEU website. Table Talk, Corrections
Edition, along with the employer’s offer to Corrections is also available on the
OPSEU website.
15. As a Region 5 member, I work in Toronto
but live outside the Region. Can I vote closer to where I live?
Every member will have the opportunity to vote within the Region
they work or the Region their local belongs to. Members are expected to vote
within their local/region. Region 5 members can vote in any one of three
locations set up over a three-day period in the Region 5 Area.
16. What if my current work location is in a
different Region than my home work location and local?
You may vote at the voting location closest to
the area you are currently assigned.
17. I will be on vacation at the time of the
vote. Can I vote now?
No. Under OPSEU policy, there are no advance
polls. Proxy voting is not permitted.
18. I work in a remote location where it will
not be possible attend a balloting location, or for me to attend one elsewhere.
How will I vote?
Every effort will be made to ensure that you and
your co-workers in remote locations can vote. Details of these arrangements will
be worked out by your OPSEU Regional Office. If it is determined that it is
impossible for you to attend a balloting location, you will be sent a mail-in
ballot. For more information, contact your local or regional office.
19. I have a disability that will prevent me
from attending a balloting location. How will I vote?
Every effort will be made to make all balloting
locations accessible to persons with disabilities. Those employees who cannot be
accommodated at the balloting location are to inform their Local, who will in
turn let OPSEU know.
20. What do I need for identification in
order to vote?
Any proper identification is acceptable, e.g.
union card, work-issued identification, driver’s licence, etc.
21. What happens if I am not on the voter’s
list?
If your name is not on the voter’s list, you
will still be allowed to vote providing you have a piece of identification (a
current pay stub is also preferred). Your vote will then be segregated in a
manner that does not allow anyone to know how you voted. OPSEU staff will then
attempt to verify you as a member of the bargaining unit prior to the vote
count.
22. How are votes tabulated?
Votes are province-wide. The vote on issues for
each bargaining unit and on central issues will be counted up across the
province. A majority of more than 50 per cent is needed to either accept or
reject the contract.
23. On count day, will anyone from my Local
be present?
Yes. On counting day, all Local Presidents (or
their designees) are entitled to attend the counting sessions as scrutineers.
24. When will be vote results be released?
All votes will be counted in each Regional
Office on the day following the completion of the vote/information meetings. The
results from across the province will be tabulated at OPSEU Head Office. They
will be communicated first to the Bargaining Teams, then to the Regional Offices
and then to Local Presidents, who will ensure that the results are communicated
to their members.
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