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  February, 2002:  Article 8

Our campaign is working
Employer drops some concession demands; some agreement on smaller issues

Since the end of September, OPSEU members have gradually been turning up the heat in our campaign for a better contract.

They’ve been talking to their co-workers about bargaining. They’ve been wearing black to work on Tuesdays to support their bargaining teams. They’ve been wearing buttons. They’ve been wearing OPSEU tattoos! They’ve been writing letters to the editor and airing their issues on the Internet. They’ve been holding rallies, information pickets, and public education events in malls. They’ve been talking to their neighbours about rebuilding the public service by supporting front-line workers. They’ve been getting media coverage.

Our campaign has not gone unnoticed. More than a few managers are more than a little uneasy about the newfound boldness of their staff.

Word of the new mood has gone up – all the way up to the office of David Tsubouchi, Chair of Management Board and the boss of the OPS. That’s why we’re farther ahead in this round of bargaining. Even David Tsubouchi has figured it out – OPSEU members want respect, and they aim to get it.

That’s why the employer did make some positive moves in its Feb. 14 offer:

Factor 80: The employer has offered to continue Factor 80 for all eligible employees who are surplused. This does nothing for OPSEU members who want to take their Factor 80 voluntarily, but it is very important for older victims of downsizing.

Bumping rights: The employer had earlier demanded the right to reduce the number of bumps available to surplused employees from three bumps to one. They have dropped that demand. The employer has reverted to the status quo in its offer. Your existing job security rights are protected. The employer has not agreed to any of the improvements the union proposed.

Appendix 18: In December, the employer fired an opening shot at Appendix 18, an important companion of the highly successful “reasonable efforts” job security language in Appendix 9. The employer had tried to strip some employees of their right to choose whether or not they would be included in a “Request for Proposal” to contract out their work. That proposal has been dropped. The language in the offer is the same as that in the current collective agreement. OPSEU members keep their right to choose between work and severance.

Preferential vacation: In December, the employer tabled a bizarre proposal to let managers give up to two weeks of extra vacation per year to newly-hired classified employees. This proposal is now off the table.

Student Wage Rates: Being able to buy an extra box of Kraft Dinner can hardly be called major progress when the provincial government has driven college and university tuition fees through the roof, but the employer’s offer does amend certain wage rates. Students in the Greater Toronto Area get an extra $1 an hour in the offer. Students outside the GTA are permitted to remain exactly as poor as they are now. The offer sets wages of $16.40 an hour for first-year law students and $18.40 an hour for second-year law students. Somehow these numbers seem small compared to the $22,000 tuition some Ontario law schools are charging….

Some issues had already been tentatively agreed to in the weeks of bargaining before OPSEU requested the employer’s offer:

Bereavement Leave: Three days of bereavement leave with pay would now be available to all employees on the death of a stepson, stepdaughter, stepmother, stepfather, or same-sex spouse. Classified and seasonal employees also receive three days’ bereavement on the death of a step-grandparent or step-grandchild; in these circumstances, unclassified employees receive one day of leave.

Kilometric Rates: An employee who uses his or her own vehicle for work will be paid the following higher rates per kilometre driven, retroactive to April 1, 2001:

Internships: The Corporate Internship Program would be continued, with up to 150 post-secondary graduates brought into the public service each year on unclassified contracts to rotate through various training assignments, not necessarily in the OPSEU bargaining unit.

Long-Term Income Protection: In the offer, any generally-negotiated wage increase would apply to employees on Long-Term Income Protection.

The fact that negotiation was possible and the employer did move on some issues shows that more improvements are possible. A strong strike mandate is all it will take to get bigger moves on bigger issues.

1-866-811-7274

To find out how to get plugged into actions across the province by calling our OPS mobilizing hotline:

1-877-561-8692

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