On June 10th, our employer came to the wage reopener bargaining table without a proposal – they did not even have permission to talk about wages, or anything else for that matter!
The costs to taxpayers for that weekend – legal fees, expenses, mediator fees, venue costs, wages, etc., is estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars. The employer claimed that they respect OPSEU/SEFPO – this was not respect!
Your bargaining team reviewed the wage increases for the last 30 years. For 22 years we took less than the inflation rate – 10 years of $0!
Don’t forget that in June 2019, just weeks before imposing Bill 124, Premier Doug Ford and MPPs voted for an increase to their own wages of 16%!
How does the government claim poverty when they cancelled the licensing stickers at a cost of $1.4 billion?
The government capped our increase to wages at 1% with Bill 124, yet they have approved a 2.5% increase to rent; average food increases of 11%; increase to dental fees of 7%; the list goes on.
Your team put forward a proposal for real wages. Our intent was to put real money in our members’ pockets.
The Superior Court of Ontario struck down Bill 124 in November, declaring it unconstitutional. Just this week, the Ford government has gone to court to appeal that ruling, despite the hardship Bill 124 has caused hundreds of thousands of public sector workers. It’s created a staffing crisis in every ministry of the OPS because wages have fallen so far behind that they can’t recruit and retain enough staff.
We have to show the employer that the determination of OPS Unified members to fight for fair compensation is stronger than the Ford government’s determination to withhold it. We are organizing in every OPS Unified workplace to take on this fight, and we will win!
JP Hornick, OPSEU/SEFPO President
We are NOT going to take it anymore!
We will not back down! Stand with us!
Show your solidarity by doing an action – such as:
- Wearing black every Thursday and Friday.
- Turning your background black on Teams/Zoom.
- Showing your OPSEU/SEFPO flags on your desk (where appropriate).
- Putting your new collective agreement on your desk (where appropriate).
On your break – take pictures of your mobilizing efforts and post on social media with the following hashtags: #OPSUnifiedSolidarity #OPSEUSEFPO #WorthMore.
In solidarity,
Your OPS Unified bargaining team:
Coleen Houlder – Team Chair, Region 5 Representative
Amanda Usher – Team Vice Chair, Region 3 Representative
Chris Draxl – FXT Representative
Chris Eckert – TECH Representative
Daryl O’Grady – CERC Representative
Grace Grieve – IHC Representative
Holly Sullivan – Region 1 Representative
Joseph Labaki – ADM Representative
Kevin Sprague – ADM Representative
Leslie Aiston – Region 4 Representative
Michele Morrison – Region 2 Representative
Shawn Burr – Region 7 Representative