Click here for PDF version.Your bargaining team met with the Employer on August 11 and 12 to continue negotiations. After the July dates with the Employer, we were hopeful that negotiations would continue to move forward in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, the Employer has reverted to their concessionary positions.
- Highlights of the Employer’s most recent offer:
- Wages: 3.75% over 3 years
- Pension improvement: get f—ed and your members don’t want it anyway
- Special adjustments: no response
- Benefit improvements: woefully inadequate
- Overtime: concessions to reduce premium pay for hours worked
- CTO: concessions to make the 60 hour bank non-refillable
- Fixed-term scheduling: concessions to further strip away scheduling stability
- Sick time: continuing attacks on our sickest members with zero understanding of what it’s like to work on the frontline
- PPO Workload: “what workload problem?”
The Employer has made it clear they just don’t care about our issues and working conditions, and that the Ministries’ negative perception of employees is driving their bargaining proposals. Their approach is archaic and hasn’t worked in previous rounds. If they want to see real improvements in workplaces across the province, they need to stop looking at employees as the problem, but instead as a key to solving the issues. They just can’t get out of their own way.Their message is clear: they want to own you for 30-plus years, keeping you in high-stress, dangerous work for longer while ignoring the toll it takes on your physical and mental health. We know that a pension improvement is a priority demand, yet the Employer dismissed the idea outright claiming it would cost too much and that only a few members would use it. They went further, saying allowing earlier retirement would hurt their “goal” of keeping people longer to “transfer knowledge.”These proposals from the Employer show a complete lack of respect for everyone in the bargaining unit. They say how important you are but continue to refuse to show it. Meanwhile, we are facing record levels of overcrowding and violence, chronic under-resourcing, extremely high caseloads, and retention issues across the bargaining unit.This is not respect. This is not a serious approach to bargaining. This will not fix the root issues and improve our workplaces.
Next bargaining dates
Our next dates with the Employer are September 16-17. We remain committed to advancing the needs and priorities of the bargaining unit. We expect the Employer to meet us at the table to have meaningful discussions and hammer out a deal.
All Leaders Meeting
The Corrections Mobilizers will be hosting All Leaders Meetings on August 19th and 20th to discuss current conditions and plan a solidarity action. We need to show the Employer we are united and ready to fight for a fair deal. This is your chance to get involved and have your voice heard. If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact your local executive or one of the Mobilizers:
Follow us on social media
Stay updated. Follow our new Corrections Division
Facebook and
Instagram (@correctionsdivisionopseu) accounts.In solidarity,Janet Laverty, Chair, Correctional Bargaining TeamAdam Cygler, Vice-Chair, Correctional Bargaining Team
