E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Everett Kelly: Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Peterborough
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Everett Kelly: Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Peterborough
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Peter McClenaghan, Vice Chair: St. Catharines, Goderich, Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener and Brantford
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Everett Kelly: Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Peterborough
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Peter McClenaghan, Vice Chair: St. Catharines, Goderich, Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener and Brantford
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Everett Kelly: Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Peterborough
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.
Impact: News for OPSEU members at MPAC from your leadership team
Volume 12, Issue 2 – June 22, 2012
We’ll get by with a little help…from our kids
MPAC’s Friends, Family and Favorites program is alive and well, especially within the ranks of the management “elites.”
This year, 2,500 students applied for the summer program. 100 have been hired so far, and the percentages are exactly what we would expect.
Of the 100 hired, 47 per cent are related to MPAC employees. Of this 47 per cent, 60 per cent are family of bargaining unit members, and 40 per cent are family or friends of management. A few have been identified as the offspring of some Executive Management Group members. We checked our numbers, and even used a few fingers and toes to do the math. We’re pretty sure this proportion of student hires is a little out of whack.
But that’s ok. Our CEO is very in favour of keeping hiring in the family…especially his own child. Even the #2 in Human Resources has added her two children to the payroll for the summer.
Coincidentally, a number of these students are also going to be allowed to work from home.
The survey SAYS!!
We thank the 571 members who completed and returned the vest survey. This is a far better rate of return than what management typically receives on their internal surveys.
So…what are the results?
Q. Do you like the vest recently implemented by your employer as a pilot project?
The survey says: NO! (93%).
Q. Do you feel the vest represents MPAC professionally?
The survey says: NO! (95%)
Q. Have you received any feedback from the public?
The survey says: YES! (84.4%)
Q. What type of feedback have you received?
The survey says: Negative feedback (43.3%); Unsure they like the new image (33.3%).
Q. What do you think of the “one size fits all” concept for the vest?
The survey says: Does NOT work! (71.3%).
But the percentages don’t really tell the whole tale. The opinions on the vest (from staff AND the public) ranged from “cheap-looking” to “unprofessional” to “embarrassing” to “ridiculous” to “tacky” to “hideous”. Almost everyone agreed (including many members of the public) that staff wearing them look like Wal Mart greeters, or, in some opinions, crossing guards.
We believe these comments sum it up best: “Had numerous property owners state they felt it was another way MPAC was wasting their tax dollars” and “This is a perfect example of senior management being completely out of touch with the front-line core business.”
Finally, to clear up one question from the survey, the answer is no…the vests don’t come with a red stick-on nose and big yellow shoes.
Class action doesn’t include MPAC
Some correspondence has come out of a few locals regarding a class action lawsuit filed by OPSEU against the Ontario government regarding members who were divested to Community Care Access Centres and suffered losses in their HOOPP pension plan.
The groups received a lump sum payout for the fact that they had language in their divestment agreements that promised they would be compensated if they were short on pension benefits because of the divestment.
MPAC did not have any such language or guarantees at the time of divestment. The UMC has prepared and sent a letter to OPSEU President Smokey Thomas as a matter of courtesy to these members, but it should be noted that MPAC’s divestment situation is different from the aforementioned groups. To read the details of the class action, go to: https://opseu.org/benefit/may-23-2012_CCAClawsuitupdate.htm
Follow the chain
This is a reminder to all members that you must follow the proper chain in order to refer matters to the UMC.
Local issues must first be addressed at the local level. The first step is to have a discussion about the issue with your local steward. The steward should hold a meeting with local management and/or the HR Business Partner in your zone about the issue. If you receive information back from the employer, inform your steward and keep them involved at all stages of discussions.
Your OPSEU staff rep should be utilized as a resource as well, especially in cases of grievance wording when the Collective Agreement has been violated. At this point, it is the decision and responsibility of the individual to file a grievance if needed.
If the issue does not contravene the Collective Agreement, but persists as an issue that needs to addressed, inform your local UMC Representative. Please use e-mail for all communications, so that we have a record of the discussions and review the issue.
Kudos Korner
Size matters
In one of our larger eastern offices, a new office is under construction for the new HR business partner…or at least that’s what was thought. There’s a certain Director of Business Properties – who shall remain nameless – that found out this office was larger than his. Claiming eminent domain, the Director will move into this office instead.
(Not) Thinking ahead
Thanks to poor management and poor planning of workloads, some Residential/Farm managers are “advising” that staff will not be able to take more than two consecutive weeks of vacation in light of the upcoming assessment update.
We interrupt this program…
Speaking of time off from work, rumour has it that a Director and some underling managers recently enjoyed a brief vacation of their own, albeit unpaid and unscheduled.
Ornge ya glad for this link?
Don’t forget OPSEU’s “Orange” Management Waste Line at https://opseu.org/notices/orngeline/index.htm. We’re pretty sure MPAC members might have a story or two to contribute. It’s easy, and totally confidential.
Stay in touch!
To ensure a speedy response to your questions, your leadership team has divided up all MPAC offices in the province. If you have a question or a comment, please contact the team member responsible for your office. Contact us by e-mail at work or at home, as follows:
David Lynch, Chair : Bracebridge, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Barrie, Brockville, Cornwall, Pembroke, Trenton, Bancroft and Kingston
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Peter McClenaghan, Vice Chair: St. Catharines, Goderich, Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener and Brantford
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Everett Kelly: Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Peterborough
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
David Fong: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie,
Timmins, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Francis and Dryden
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Steve Kovacs: Milner (CCC, CPF, LPU), Owen Sound, Hamilton and Parry Sound
E-Mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mirla Alvarado-Fenn, OPSEU Staff Negotiator
E-mail: [email protected]
OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president.