While meeting with the employer over the last few weeks, your team has received several emails from local presidents and members seeking a bargaining update.
We have prepared numerous non-monetary proposals based on the bargaining priorities established by the membership during the demand-set process. Unfortunately, the employer has been slow to respond to most of these proposals. If they do respond, they seem to be in stark opposition to the enhancements we are seeking.
Some members are wondering where our negotiations stand, now that the Unified Bargaining Unit has ratified their collective agreement. The answer to this is simple: Our division is unique and separate from the Unified Bargaining Unit. We face issues and challenges that are only found within the walls and offices of correctional workplaces.
However, the employer does not seem to recognize this fact, given that their proposals to the team mirror the articles found in the new Unified agreement.
Your team has responded to the employer, noting we are a separate bargaining unit with a separate collective agreement – one that must be negotiated to address our specific needs. What works for the Unified Bargaining Unit, the colleges, the LCBO or any of the many other collective agreements in the Ontario Public Service or the broader public sector may not suit the needs of corrections members.
Your team recently met again with the employer to present our latest package of non-monetary proposals. We are hopeful the employer will come prepared with meaningful responses to move the process forward, and we remain committed and confident that we will achieve a collective agreement.
Finally, we would like to remind members that, during negotiations, we are limited in what information we can share publicly. LockTalk continues to be the best, and only, source of accurate information.
In solidarity,
Your Correctional Bargaining Team