Attention Fife House Fife House Workers!

Are you sick of …

• Workloads increasing instead of staffing levels?
• Chronic harassment and discrimination?
• Managers making arbitrary decisions without consulting you?
• Out-dated and inaccurate job descriptions?
• Being told there isn’t enough funding for improvements?

The work you do at Fife House is incredibly important – it doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult.

Getting a real voice in your workplace is long overdue.

Don’t accept any more empty promises from your managers – join together in OPSEU/SEFPO to make Fife House a better place to work.

Sick time, wages, maternity leave, bereavement, benefits and pensions are all established by you for you during collective bargaining.

Many housing workers have faced the same challenges you face at Fife House: low wages, chaotic schedules, and discrimination, harassment and mismanagement from those in leadership positions. But more and more housing workers are joining OPSEU/SEFPO to get the protection they need.

• Pensions
• Maternity
• Leave
• Sick time
• Wages

What is a Collective Agreement?

A Collective Agreement is like a legally binding contract: it’s made up of provisions and articles that ensure you get the fair and respectful treatment you deserve! Additionally, collective bargaining forces your employer to be more financially transparent – you can better identify where your funding is actually going!

How do you hold your managers to your Collective Agreement?

What if the employer doesn’t follow an article in the Collective Agreement? You file a grievance to force the employer to live up to the agreement they made.

All unions have a grievance procedure, but what makes OPSEU/SEFPO unparalleled is that OPSEU/SEFPO members have what’s known as “carriage rights.” That means that you, the member, control your grievance, while other unions have committees that control your grievance. Being a member-driven union gives you the power to decide how important your grievance is – and with OPSEU’s resources, you decide if the grievance is worth filing and how far you would like to take it.

The time is now to take advantage of the same strength and protection that have been enjoyed for years by thousands of other housing workers across the province!

Your raises are protected.

Your managers may know you’re thinking of joining OPSEU/SEFPO, and they may offer you extra hours, higher wages, and other benefits in an attempt to discourage you from unionizing.

Many of you all have already shown your interest in voting to join OPSEU/SEFPO – by signing your union cards. Once enough of your colleagues have signed their confidential cards and the application is filed, your current wages and working conditions become “frozen” – the law clearly says that your managers cannot arbitrarily reduce or change your pay or benefits after they’ve been frozen.

Even better, your current pay and benefits become the starting point for bargaining – there’s nowhere to go but up!

What do you get in a collective agreement? That’s up to you!

People just like you working at agencies similar to Fife House have been able to improve their working conditions by joining with OPSEU/SEFPO and establishing a collective agreement.

We at OPSEU/SEFPO fight for whatever issues are important to you and your coworkers and give you the voice you deserve!

Many supportive housing workers now have strong anti-harassment, anti-violence and anti- sexual harassment protections. And throughout the pandemic, many OPSEU/SEFPO units have used collective bargaining to improve things like paid sick days and mental health support amongst many others.

When you join together with your coworkers through OPSEU/SEFPO, you gain the power to create meaningful change in your workplace.

And it all starts with signing your confidential OPSEU/SEFPO card today!

Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 518)

• Wage Increases of 1.50 per cent in 2020, 1.50 per cent in 2021, 1.50 per cent in 2022, and 2 per cent in 2023
• National Day of Truth and Reconciliation been added to paid holidays
• Get three weeks of vacation after working there for two years (before you had to work there five years to get three weeks)

Times Change Women’s Employment Service (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 512)

• Max Severance Pay weeks increase now 30 weeks, was 26 weeks
• New – Workplace Violence and Harassment Language
• Employees are now part of the OPTrust Select Pension Plan

Native Women’s Resource Centre (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 540)

• Employer now pays 100 per cent of group life insurance
• Employer now pays 100 per cent of billed premium for all extended health care plans including Dental

S5: L550 – Salvation Army PLUS (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 550)

• $80 every 24 months towards an eye exam.
• Temp and Casual/Relief employees now eligible for vacation pay of up to 6 per cent

The Salvation Army Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports Islington Senior’s Shelter (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 550)

• 3 per cent wage increase in 2023
• Extra $125 for vision care
• All FT employees may use 2 sick days as mental health days

Sistering – A Women’s Place (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 540)

• Workers now get $200 a year for health spending
• New – Bereavement Language
• Members are now a part of OPT Select pension plan

Sundowners Day Care and Resource Centre (OPSEU/SEFPO Local 143)

• Part timer can now take half sick days
• Union now part of shift selection
• Improved Health and Safety Language

A message from CKCW housing worker Patricia Zonta

Hi everybody,

My name is Patricia Zonta, and I’m a housing worker just like you!

I work at CKCW. In 2014, we embarked on a new journey in search of fairness and equity in the workplace. We asked over and over for the employer to give us the tools and conditions we need, but it quickly became apparent that no progress could be made.

So as proud front-line workers, we joined our voices together in OPSEU/SEFPO

Why OPSEU/SEFPO? Because it has decades of experience in the “public sector.” We knew we could on great strength and support, and we were right!

Before joining OPSEU/SEFPO, we had unfair wages, inconsistent job descriptions, an ineffective scheduling system and health and safety issues (just to name a few). No more!

Personally, OPSEU/SEFPO’s support over unfair scheduling helped me earn compensation from my employer for lost wages. Also, we had the strength to demand Wellness Committee to help support our mental health and well-being.

The pandemic has brought to light many other unaddressed issues, such as staffing shortages, workload increases, and health and safety issues. OPSEU/SEFPO has stepped up to help us advocate for ourselves, and continue to thrive and grow amidst uncertain times.

I hope you’ll join us in OPSEU/SEFPO. You won’t regret it!

Patricia Zonta

OPSEU – Local 148 – Chief Steward of CKWC

Vice-Chair of Sector 5

You set your own bargaining priorities

OPSEU/SEFPO is unique – we are Member Driven, which means that you as members make ALL the decisions about what your priorities should be. This process is called “Demand Set.” During demand set, you and your colleagues decide what you’d like to bargain for.

In other words, if you believe your wages or premiums should reflect the same as those in surrounding hospitals, OPSEU/SEFPO will stand firmly with you and help you bargain hard with the employer.

OPSEU/SEFPO takes pride in the fact that members like you are always in the driver’s seat – never the other way around.

If you have any questions, please ask!

Joining a union is a great collective step, but it can be unfamiliar for some, while others may be faced with hesitation due to misinformation. You’re not alone.

Workers interested in joining OPSEU/SEFPO have sometimes experienced pushback from management and even colleagues, which can cause a feeling of disconnect in the workplace.

Do not fear. OPSEU/SEFPO stands with its 180,000 members and has helped them bargain fair Collective Agreements that set guidelines created by YOU.

This has improved not only members’ working conditions, but also their relationships with colleagues and management. OPSEU/SEFPO- represented workplaces have organized Labour Management Teams with staff and management to make improvements that are for everyone’s benefit.

OPSEU/SEFPO believes in transparency and encourages anyone seeking information on the process to reach out to Organizer Dan Peters.

Collectively we will be successful and our vote will be held.

Now is your time to get involved, sign your confidential card and begin the process of collective bargaining. It’s time to be heard!

Daniel Peters

OPSEU/SEFPO Organizing Representative

Cell: (416) 805-1796 [email protected] www.opseu.org

joinOPSEU.org 1-844-OPSEU-4-U [email protected]