Dear members,
Your bargaining team is writing to provide the latest news on the status of our Collective Agreement. In our last newsletter in October, we provided an update on the progress of Interest Arbitration.
As many of you are aware, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared the Doug Ford government’s Bill 124 legislation, which capped total compensation at one percent, to be “void and of no effect.” The government has filed an appeal, but until the appeal hearing takes place, the bill remains “void and of no effect.”
This court decision has had a great impact on where we stand in Interest Arbitration. The issues in dispute that we presented to the Arbitrator were significantly influenced by the wage restraints of Bill 124.
Our team has reached out to the Employer to resume bargaining and has taken the position that we have the right to re-submit our monetary proposals following the invalidation of Bill 124. The Employer has agreed to review our proposals in an effort to reach a Collective Agreement.
We are committed to securing better wages that keep pace with inflation.
We all have made many sacrifices over the pandemic to keep the blood supply safe and secure, and we have done so under stressful and strenuous conditions.
Your bargaining team has a clear mandate from you. We will continue to fight for equity and full-time positions.
Your bargaining team will be meeting on March 2 to prepare a proposal for the Employer. If an agreement is reached, it will be presented to members for ratification. If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will submit our monetary proposals back to the Arbitrator for a final and binding ruling.
We understand that the contract has been expired for some time and we appreciate your patience during this process. We are seeking full retroactive adjustments and will continue to push for the Employer to show us respect and acknowledge the hard work and sacrifices that we have made.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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)