Tuesday, August 29 has been set as the date for members of OPSEU’s College Support Division to cast their vote on a tentative deal reached with the employer last month to extend the current collective agreement.
The vote will be conducted under the supervision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), as required by the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act. A list of voting locations and times will be distributed once they are confirmed.
The tentative extension agreement proposed by the colleges in July contains a 7.75 per cent wage increase over four years with no concessions. The existing contract was scheduled to expire on August 31, 2018; if the extension is ratified, the new collective agreement will end on August 31, 2022, and the first wage increase (1.5 per cent) will take effect on March 1, 2018.
Read highlights of the tentative extension.
Janice Hagan, Chair of the College Support Division leadership, called on all members to vote in favour of the extension agreement.
“This is a win-win all-round for our members,” said Hagan. “It gives members and their families peace of mind knowing that they can expect steady wage increases for four years without sacrificing any of the benefits and entitlements we’ve fought so hard to achieve over successive rounds of bargaining. We’re particularly pleased that we’ve gained catastrophic drug coverage and have added five days of family leave that can be drawn from our sick days.”
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas also endorsed the tentative extension and urged all members to support their leadership team when they cast a vote.
“Stability is at the heart of the tentative extension and it meets the wage and benefit goals shared by the members,” said Thomas. “I strongly encourage everyone to support their leadership team which is recommending that members vote yes on August 29.”
For more information: Janice Hagan, jrhagan64@gmail.com