| Dec 23
In Other News: -- OLRB rules on dues for essential workers. Click for more.
Same-sex survivor benefits to come out of OPSEU
Pension Plan -- Hotel Dieu employees parity with CUPE counterparts -- 9-week strike ends
for Earlscourt workers. Details - click now.
Dec 17
OPSEU must maintain its strong position to continue
to defend members and services from the Harris government's attacks.
That's why Delegates to the April 1999 convention
will be asked to consider a small Dues increase of 0.2% (avg. about $2.85 every two weeks
per member) to strengthen the union and improve services to members. The levy which will
generate $6 million, would go directly to the strike fund (currently stands at $12
million). The levy would be lifted once the strike fund reaches $50 million.
The dues rate paid by OPSEU members continues to be
among the lowest rates in the labour movement. For more details click here.
OPSEU Scores AGAIN! -- A recent settlement restores some rights for OPS members.
The settlement protects the rights of OPS employees in the event their jobs are
transferred out (privatized). Under Appendix 9 of the contract, the government is required
to make "reasonable efforts" to find jobs for public servants (OPSEU members)
when their jobs are privatized, divested or transferred. For the complete story click here.
Oct 30
OPSEU blocks private mega-jail... Management Board Chair Chris Hodgson, has
confirmed that a new mega-jail to be built in Lindsay (in his riding) will be operated by
the province, not by a private company.
"This is a huge victory for all OPSEU members
and staff who toiled long and hard to keep the Lindsay jail public," said OPSEU
president Leah Casselman. "The Mike Harris government was obviously leery of a public
backlash over jail privatization, she added, especially with a provincial election not far
off".
Sept 18
Introducing:
OPSEU savings program - For Home & Auto Insurance...
OPSEU has found an insurance partner, Canadian
Access Insurance Services Inc., who's offering the membership a specialized home and auto
insurance benefits. This offer is possible through utilizing the "Group Buying
Power" of the membership, to create a meaningful savings program for your personal
home and auto insurance needs.
The underwriter for the program is
"Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada".
For a no-obligation quote on your
home & auto insurance, call 1-888-33-OPSEU (1-888-336-7738) or fax a request quote
form (available from any Steward or on the kitchenette bulletin board) to 1-800-300-0630.
Up to about 85% of group members
quoted could expect to see savings.
Sept 4
Have you ever:
....distributed leaflets for your MP or other political rep??
....Involved in any way with town hall meetings??
....with a political party?
....organizing for a candidate or party?
....Been on a soap box on political issues ?
....Have some time to dedicate to political issues?
Would you like to be a part of the Political Action Committee and get involved in the
issues for the next time around'? See related
story
Then get in touch with Flo Hines at 6-4391 as soon as possible.
Sept 3
Local 460 reaches tentative deal... After 19 weeks on
the picket line, OPSEU members at Pathways for Children and Youth in Kingston voted today
on a tentative agreement reached this past Tuesday.
The highlights of the agreement
include:
- Saving the pension plan - HOOPP (the
Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan)
- A new higher-paying classification
for child and youth counselors
- Limited red circling protection for
people who had to bump into lower-paying classifications
- Defined hours of work
- A clause outlawing personal
harassment added to their anti-discrimination language
- Stronger job security language
- A $1,000 signing bonus
Local 232 made a donation to
Local 460's strike fund... see related story
below.
Aug 31
OPSEU scores
twice... It's a good
one! That's for 6500 faculty members at Ontario's community colleges, as they just
recently reached a tentative agreement with their employer. If OPSEU members ratify the
deal, they'll get a $600 signing bonus and a five percent pay raise over
the next two years PLUS three steps will be added to the top of the pay
grid. The increased steps in the pay grid works out to an additional nine percent, bring
the total to almost fifteen percent for those already at the top of the grid.
In addition, the OPSEU bargaining
team beat back an employer demand to make it easier to replace college professors with
lower-paid instructors.
"We won our two biggest
demands," said OPSEU staff negotiator Dianne Bull. "We wanted money and we
wanted no concessions. We got both!"
"The college faculty have set
a precedent for all of our negotiations." said OPSEU president Leah Casselman.
In other OPSEU news... In a ruling set down by Ontario's Health
and Safety Adjudicator, all prisoners must be escorted by at least two OPSEU Correctional
officers. Also included in the 113-page decision, the adjudicator ruled that
correctional officers on escort duty must be equipped with batons, pepper spray and
upgraded body armor. In addition, the officers will be linked into police communication
systems for backup assistance if required.
This ruling comes as a result of
two correctional officers being held hostage by prisoners they escorting outside of a
correctional facility three years ago.
Aug 26
Victory! -OPSEU wins
classified jobs in
Corrections Division... About 100 or more unclassified (contract) staff with more
than two years' service will be "rolled-over" into classified positions in the
OPS. This came as a result of a negotiated deal put together by OPSEU... and given the
blessing by a GSB Arbitrator, who indicated she couldn't have arbitrated a deal as fair,
as the one negotiated. The deal grew out of two OPSEU policy grievances filed in
January 1997.
Aug 18
Thank
you -The local
received a thank you note from OPSEU Local 460 for making a $150 donation to their strike
fund. They indicated not only does the donation assist the members in need, but it also
raises their spirits enormously. Local 460 ("A Children and Youth"
center) has been on strike against their employer since April 24, 1998.
Aug 12
Political
action launched... OPSEU
activists have been dispatched across the province to encourage member to actively
participate in the next provincial election.
Political Action Committees (PACs)
are being created in corners of the province, following an OPSEU convention resolution to
help defeat the Harris Tory regime.
Addressing a meeting of PAC
organizers, July 30, OPSEU President Leah Casselman said: "We need to connect this
union to the politics that affect our members. We want to find members who will get
involved and help encourage members to vote against this government."
The events of the past three years
- the massive cuts to the public services and downloading of provincial services - have
shown OPSEU members the stakes are very high in the next election. If the Tories win a
second term, the future could be very grim for Ontario workers.
OPSEU has established a central
Political Action Committee to help map out a strategy that will include direct
participation in the election, which could come as early as this fall.
OPSEU will also encourage members
to participate in in Ontario Federation of Labor activities and labor councils' actions.
About 20 member-organizers have
been dispatched by OPSEU, to hold PAC meetings across the province in September. Call the
campaigns Unit at OPSEU at 1-800-268-7376 ext 202 for the name of the PAC contact in your
area.
Aug 6
Attendance
Support Program... Unfortunately,
the government's so-called "Attendance Support Program" in the Ontario Public
Service has exactly that effect. In attempting to clamp down on alleged abuses of sick
time, many managers don't mind if they also curtail the legitimate use of sick time
negotiated in our collective agreement.
OPSEU has raised many objections
with the Ontario government regarding their self-imposed program. The employer has refused
to make any changes. As a result, OPSEU has filed a government-wide policy grievance to
challenge the aspects of the program. The first hearing was July 30, with more dates to be
scheduled ASAP.
In the meantime, your best
protection against abuse by managers is to know your rights.
If you are called into a
"counseling session" take your steward along. Your steward should point out that
the program is arbitrary by nature and does not take your individual circumstances into
account.
You do not have to discuss the
nature of your illness, your treatment, or your prognosis with your manager. If you
require accommodation, demand it! Your doctor can spell out your needs and set limits on
your ability to work, as appropriate. Your manager should respect these limits.
Make sure your doctor understands
the demands of your job well enough to provide a proper assessment. When you talk to your
manager, describe what your limitations are in relation to your job function.
If you are aware of any manager's
that are abusing employee's legitimate sick time, please advise your steward or an OPSEU
member of the Local ERC.
July 21
Temporary Dues Lifted
-- Strike Debit Paid
OPSEU members rallied
back in 1996 to support a plan to raise union dues temporarily to get the union out of
debt and rebuild the strike fund. Members voted to move forward, together.
"I'm proud
to report that our plan has worked: Thanks to the efforts of all of our members, OPSEU is
out of debt, our strike fund is healthy", says Leah Casselman, OPSEU President,
adding "The temporary dues assessment has been lifted, and OPSEU once again has among
the lowest dues rates of any public sector union".
OPSEU members
do not strike often, but the strike fund is very important because it show employers that
we are serious about defending our contracts and our members, whether they work for small
agencies, the Ontario government, colleges, universities, hospitals, ambulance services,
correctional facilities or schools.
For more
information click here.
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