We’re worth fighting for! Coordinated bargaining in the broader public service is here and momentum is building!

It’s time for workers in the Broader Public Service (BPS) to fight back!

For decades, provincial governments have chronically underfunded community based social and health services and universities. In many cases this has been exacerbated by contracting the work out to private agencies. Because of this, the workers providing these critical services have had lower wages and poorer working conditions.

Now, many of these services are at the breaking point – with service cuts and layoffs. We’ve seen partial and even full program cuts.That’s why workers in the BPS are coming together to demand the wage and funding increases we need. Because we are worth fighting for, and so are the services we provide.You may have heard about a cross-sectoral bargaining campaign – and it’s really kicking off!Units in Phase 1 of the campaign have served notice to bargain and many have already tabled coordinated demands! For more information on this campaign and why this is our moment, click here.

Why the Broader Public Service?

• We are some of the lowest paid workers in the public service, and most received little or no wage increases during the Bill 124 moderation period or remedy after the legislation was deemed unconstitutional and repealed. Other workers in the public service got increases of 6.5% or more to catch up for what was stolen from them under Bill 124. We deserve to catch up too!
• We are the safety net that holds the province together and worth fighting for!

Who’s coming together in this campaign?

• Members across 8 sectors of OPSEU/SEFPO are coming together to build power in this campaign. They work in: Developmental Services, Children’s Aid Societies, Community Agencies, BPS Corrections, Universities, Child Treatment Sector, Community Health Care Professionals, and Mental Health and Addictions.
• Workplaces whose Collective Agreements are expiring this spring, or have already expired, are forming the first phase of this coordinated bargaining effort!
• If your agreement expires after this spring, you can join Phase 2 to work with other sectors too. In the meantime, you can support those going into bargaining right now.

Why now? What’s at stake if we don’t do this campaign?

Something’s got to give! Unless we take collective action we’re just going to see more of the same: more layoffs; recruitment and retention issues; services failing to meet the needs of our communities; and more people will continue to fall through the cracks.The race to the bottom will continue with more contracting of work to private agencies and underfunding our broader public service.The fragmentation of the broader public service will continue to weaken our bargaining power.  We will continue to negotiate with underfunded, small employers and have little to no real power unless we target the real employer and funder: the Provincial Government and Treasury Board.Solidarity works – stay tuned for more information!Keep an eye out for invitations to upcoming organizing meetings or opportunities to show your support for units near you who are building momentum at the bargaining table or hosting solidarity actions.Talk to your peers who are going into bargaining about how they’re building power for this campaign – this could be you next year! Our power is in our numbers!