We wanted to provide you with a report on the Interest Arbitration hearing that took place this week on Tuesday, August 23 between the Union and the Employer.
Before the hearing, the Union had prepared an Arbitration brief and were ready to present the proposals in dispute so the Arbitrator, Jaspir Parmar, could proceed to make a ruling.
However, the hearing was dedicated entirely to the question of whether Bill 124 applies to employees working at Canadian Blood Services.
Bill 124 is a regressive piece of legislation passed by the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario in November 2019 that sets limits on compensation increases for all public sector employees. The bill stipulates that during the three years following passage of the bill–what’s known as the moderation period–all compensation is limited to an annual one per cent increase.
After the Arbitration Board heard arguments from both the Union and Employer side on the applicability of Bill 124, it was decided that the board must first determine whether Bill 124 applies before it can rule further on the items in dispute.
We expect a decision on Bill 124 in the coming weeks and will keep you updated.
We will also provide a further update as soon as available on next steps in the Interest Arbitration process.
Your bargaining team is grateful for your patience and solidarity as we await to hear back on this important issue.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team:
Geoff Cain (Local 160): Bargaining Team Chair
Jennifer Johnson (Local 5103): Bargaining Team Vice-Chair
Alberto Alvaro (Local 200)
Dawn Lord (Local 210)
Brent MacPherson (Local 477)