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OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 44 – Lump sum to be paid out February 25

On February 25, all OPSEU members in the OPS will be paid the 1.4 per cent lump sum that was negotiated in both the Unified agreement and the Corrections agreement.

The lump sum payment will be calculated on wages earned for regular hours worked in the 2015 calendar year. This includes pay in lieu of vacation leave, as well as payment for approved leaves. The usual statutory deductions will be made.

Correctional Bargaining Unit

Disciplinary matters discussed

OPSEU and the employer met twice to discuss potential disciplinary measures related to bargaining. OPSEU believes that any disciplinary matters should be dismissed and that no member should face discipline for events that occurred during this round of bargaining.

The union delivered this message at the first meeting on January 14 and reiterated it at the second meeting on January 21. The union made it clear that this was an excellent opportunity for the parties to move forward on the path to improved labour relations.

The employer’s representatives agreed they would like to move forward and indicated they would consider the union’s request. The ball is now in the employer’s court in terms of seizing this opportunity to improve relations with the Correctional Bargaining Unit and OPSEU.

Some common questions answered

The Corrections War Room remains open and ready to answer your questions. Please send an email to correctionswarroom@opseu.org.

1. Who qualifies for compensating time off (CTO) and accumulated compensating leave (ACL)?

CTO applies to any employees who are eligible for overtime under Article COR 8.5. ACL is available to anyone in the Correctional Bargaining Unit.

2. When can I expect a ruling from arbitration on outstanding issues?

It is the intention of both parties to have dates set and submissions concluded by March 31, 2016. The arbitrator will issue a ruling at a later date.

3. Will Unified members who work in Corrections be included in the Corrections-only agreement?

To be clear, current Unified members who work in Corrections are not covered by the Memorandum of Settlement negotiated January 9. This may change in future rounds once the Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act is amended to meet the commitments the government made in the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS). The OPSEU Executive Board will finalize the union’s position on bargaining unit structure for discussions with the government. The board will consider the results of the Corrections consultation survey when determining the union’s position.

4. What is the special wage adjustment and to whom does it apply?

The special wage adjustment is the salary award that the arbitrator will decide upon. The arbitrator’s awards will apply to all member categories within the Correctional Bargaining Unit. As noted within the MoS, the arbitrator will be taking several factors into consideration in addition to the submissions from both parties.

While this is not the same as a special-case submission, the arbitrator will still be given the three Correctional Bargaining Unit special cases, submitted as part of the comprehensive package that the bargaining team will prepare.

There will still be an opportunity to put forward individual special-case submissions in future rounds.

5. Why is there no vote to ratify the Corrections agreement?

When parties agree to voluntary arbitration, all outstanding items that cannot be resolved during bargaining are referred to arbitration. The arbitrator will issue a decision based on submissions made by the parties.

This will apply for future rounds of Corrections bargaining, just as it currently applies to other OPSEU sectors that use other arbitration models, such as the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act.

Download Table Talk 44

Related: Crisis In Corrections Index Page