Statement from President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida regarding a new collective agreement between OPSEU and the Ontario Public Service Staff Union
Friends,
On behalf of the Executive Board of OPSEU we are pleased to announce that the Ontario Public Service Staff Union (OPSSU) and the Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU) have successfully renewed the OPSSU/OPSEU Collective Agreement for a three year term. OPSSU has approximately 300 staff who service more than 500 OPSEU locals and approximately, 155,000 members. The Parties worked diligently and collaboratively to reach a fair agreement. Given that it was ratified by both parties quickly and overwhelmingly, we believe we achieved our goal. This means three years of labour certainty so that together we can focus on the real enemy facing Ontario workers-the Doug Ford government.
The new CA takes effect on March 10, 2019 and will expire on March 9, 2022. Key amendments to the Collective Agreement include:
- General Wage Increases:
March 10, 2019: 1.8%
March 10, 2020: 1.6%
March 10, 2021: 1.6%- Two personal leave days (over current entitlements) for all employees, including temporary employees,
- Increase to the annual Wellness Fund (from $250 to $300)
- Employee paid pension contributions for parental leave (provided employee pays their portion)
- Seasonal clothing annual allowance increase (from $600 to $700)
This deal could not have been achieved without real leadership and a level of trust on both sides. We thank Team Chair Shawn Koza and the entire executive of OPSSU, starting with President Lois Boggs for the crucial and painstaking work they have done. We also thank the Executive Board for their support. It’s great to see the OPSEU family moving forward together.
President Warren (Smokey) Thomas
First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida