March 10, 2004
OPS Local presidents to discuss new bargaining procedures April 14
Presidents of OPSEU Locals in the OPS will meet in Toronto April 14 to discuss new OPSEU bargaining procedures for the upcoming round of contract talks.
The OPSEU Executive Board passed the streamlined new procedures Jan. 21.
“The goal of the new OPS procedures is to use the lessons and insights from the last round to improve the next round,” said OPSEU president Leah Casselman. “New rules won’t change what the employer does, but they can help us do a better job on our side of the table.”
In June 2002, over 300 OPSEU members and staff took part in a province-wide “de-brief” of the 2000-02 round. The new procedures reflect their insights. Highlights include:
· Compressed timeline. In the old procedures, demand-setting took place in the first two months of the last year of the contract. This time, the demand-setting survey happens in May and June, and demand-setting meetings follow in early September. In 2004, members will elect their
bargaining teams in September-October, not in April as in 2001. The new procedures call for negotiations to start in mid-November with the goal of wrapping up the new contract before the old one expires on Dec.31, 2004.
· Increased representation. The new procedures add two new members to the Central/Unified bargaining team. Members in the Office Administration (OA) category will now elect two people to the team instead of one; the Central Enforcement and Renewal Committee (CERC) will also elect one.
Having two OA members on the team reflects that group’s large size. Currently, three out of eight OPSEU members in the OPS are in the OA category. The goal of adding a CERC member to the bargaining team is to make sure to have someone in negotiations who has been closely involved in enforcing the existing contract at the
provincial level.
· Broader local input into essential services. In 2002, members noted the poor quality of essential and emergency services (EES) agreements in some workplaces. They said bargaining teams sometimes lacked first-hand knowledge of local conditions. In the new procedures, Locals will be
asked to report to the bargaining teams directly to make sure EES agreements reflect the reality on the ground.
To view the complete procedures, click here.
Auditor plans OPS survey
Ontario’s provincial auditor is conducting a review of Labour Relations in the OPS. As part of this review, the auditor is sending a survey to about 2,500 OPSEU members chosen at random. This is NOT an employer survey.
OPSEU has met with the auditor to discuss the survey. The auditor has assured the union that individual answers will be kept strictly confidential. Data collected will be used only for the auditor’s purposes.
Original authorized for distribution by Leah Casselman, president.
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