OPSEU/SEFPO members who work at Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health held an information picket demanding better wage offers and calling on the employer to get back to the bargaining table with a reasonable response.
The workers’ wages are behind those at other social services agencies and more than $10 an hour behind their comparators at Brockville General Hospital.
The union has tabled a fair offer, but management has yet to respond. The next meeting is scheduled for June 8.
From the Brockville Recorder & Times:
Patricia Adams, who works at reception, said she and her colleagues are feeling the economic pressure.
“Basically, everything is going up, groceries, gas, all living costs, but unfortunately our wages stay the same,” she said.
“We want a response from management,” said Kathy Hall, a member of the local’s bargaining unit and a rapid access caseworker.
“We are the lowest-paid group in all this area.”
The local group has not seen a wage increase higher than 1.5 per cent in the past 15 years, said Hall.