Dozens of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 241 children’s mental health workers facing a possible lockout as early as February 22 held an info picket earlier this week outside two Pathstone Mental Health locations to demand a fair contract for workers who provide mental health services for kids and families across Niagara region.
Their message to Pathstone management and CEO Shaun Baylis was clear: Stop putting children’s mental health services at risk, ditch the disrespectful bargaining tactics and bargain a fair contract with your workers!
You can add your voice – click here to send an email to CEO Shaun Baylis now!
The workers were joined in solidarity by Dave Augustyn, NDP candidate for Niagara Centre, Amalgamated Transit Unit (ATU) members, Association of Professional Student Services Personnel (APSSP) members, and OPSEU/SEFPO members from neighbouring locals. They picketed the Branscombe Centre in St. Catharines, and the Mountainview Centre for Innovative Learning in Welland. Scroll down to see pictures from the info pickets!
Countdown to a lockout on February 22, 2025
Pathstone Mental Health, the lead agency for children’s mental health in the Niagara Region, has started the countdown to locking out more than 100 children’s mental health workers as early as February 22, 2025, putting the following mental health services for kids and families at risk:
- Crisis mental health care for youth at walk-in clinics and a crisis support line
- Treatment and care for youth in a live-in treatment home
- Individual and group therapy and family support services
- Behavioural supports in primary and secondary academic programs.
Pathstone Mental Health is proposing benefit cuts, wages that fall behind inflation, and attacks on sick leave for workers. Meanwhile, Pathstone CEO Shaun Baylis got a 15% raise in 2023 alone – that’s a $28,000 raise in one year!
OPSEU/SEFPO Local 214 members are fighting for fair compensation for the children’s mental health services they’ve dedicated their careers to providing for kids and their families.
How Pathstone has stonewalled bargaining: A timeline
December 2024: 95% of Pathstone’s children’s mental health workers voted to reject a forced “final offer” from management that was filled with concessions, including benefit cuts, wages that fell below inflation, and attacks on sick leave.
Throughout January 2025: Pathstone management refused repeated requests by the union to come back to the bargaining table unless the workers would agree in advance to pay huge out-of-pocket premiums for their benefits. That’s not how bargaining works.
February 2025: Instead of bargaining without preconditions, Pathstone management filed for a No Board from the Ministry of Labour, starting the countdown to a potential lockout as early as February 22, 2025.
About Pathstone Mental Health workers
OPSEU/SEFPO Local 214 members provide mental health services for children, youth and their families across Niagara Region as:
- Counsellors
- Registered social worker therapists (MSWs and BSWs)
- Registered psychotherapists
- Outreach workers
- Registered early childhood educators
- Group home workers and house parents
- Family support workers
- Administrative staff
