December 19, 2002
New deal extends Driver Exam conversions to more members
A new settlement between OPSEU and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) will mean classified jobs for more unclassified employees at Driver Exam Centres (DECs).
As reported in FRONTlines, the Grievance Settlement Board (GSB) ruled Oct. 24 that unclassified workers do not lose their right to be converted to classified status (Article 31.15 of the collective agreement) just because their work is slated to be privatized. In October, the GSB ordered the
immediate conversion of all unclassified DEC employees who had completed 18 months of service before Sept. 17, 2002.
The settlement signed today improves the original settlement. MTO will now convert all Driver Exam employees:
a) who reached their 18 months of service at any time up to the date of the new settlement (today, Dec. 19); OR
b) who reach 18 months of service at any time between now and the time MTO announces the successful bidder in the privatization.
Employees who have 18 months in as of today will receive all the entitlements of classified employees. If and when privatization occurs, they will be able to elect to transfer to the new employer OR accept an enhanced severance package as provided by the collective agreement.
For an employee who has already reached their 18 months’ service by today, today will be the official conversion date. Seniority is determined by Article 18 of the collective agreement.
Those who opt to transfer to the new employer will get job offers based on the 2002 rate of pay, not the 2001 rate that they were paid when the Request for Proposals was issued.
Employees who reach their 18 months’ service after today but before the successful bidder is announced will not get to elect. They will automatically get the enhanced severance package.
Converted employees will not suffer any clawback of wages or benefits (e.g., they will not have to pay back the pay in lieu of benefits they received while unclassified).
OPSEU is working to make sure that all eligible unclassified employees are converted. The union has until Jan. 8, 2003 to review the employer’s list of those eligible for conversion and identify any who have been left off. Any disputes will go directly to GSB Vice-Chair Richard Brown for resolution.
Members picked by the OPSEU Ministry Employee Relations Committee will be contacting each DEC from Jan. 2 to Jan. 8. to make sure everyone who should be converted is on the list. If no one contacts your office by Jan. 6, contact one of the OPSEU members on your MTO Ministry Employee Relations
Committee, as follows:
John O’Brien
Chair, Local 706
Phone: (807) 473-2000
E-mail: jobrien2@tbaytel.net
Serge Valcourt
Vice-chair, Local 634
Phone: (705) 472-7900 ext. 6490
E-mail: opseu.634@sympatico.ca
Robert Houston
Local 224
Phone: (519) 372-4045
E-mail: bobanjo@sympatico.ca
Peggy Maybury
Local 542
Phone: (416) 235-4218 or (416) 525-9277
E-mail: peggy.maybury@mto.gov.on.ca
Original authorized for distribution by Leah Casselman, President
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