OPSEU
members ratify
contract at
Public Health
Ontario
TORONTO — Employees in
Ontario's public health lab sys-
tem have ratified a collective
agreement.
Members of the Ontario Pub-
lic Service Employees Union
(OPSEU) voted 63 per cent in
favour of the new contract at
Public Health Ontario.
The agreement is retroactive
to April 1, 2014. According to the
union, the deal includes wage in-
creases for all affected employees.
More than 850 employees
working in offices and laborato-
ries across the province will be
affected by the four-year agree-
ment.
The OPSEU members per-
form clinical and environmen-
tal testing as well as testing for
drinking water and food-borne
illness.
"It was a tough round of ne-
gotiations but we were able to
stave off all of the concessions
the employer was demanding,"
said OPSEU bargaining team
chair Ellen Goslin.
SAFSS
workers
deliver 100
per cent
strike vote
TORONTO — Members of the
Ontario Public Service Employ-
ees Union (OPSEU) Local 518
voted 100 per cent in favour
of strike action if negotiations
with Settlement Assistance
and Family Support Services
(SAFSS) fail to produce a tenta-
tive agreement the union deems
fair.
The parties are currently in ne-
gotiations for their first collective
agreement.
"Our members have spoken
loudly and clearly," said Valentina
Khoudiakova, chair of Local 518's
bargaining team.
"They're ready to take job ac-
tion."
According to the union, the
March 22 strike vote drew a
strong turnout from members.
OPSEU Local 518 represents
about 45 employees at the fam-
ily support services organiza-
tion.
The agency provides services
for recent immigrants, including
language and skills development,
information services, newcomer
settlement programs and pro-
grams for seniors.
LABOUR BRIEFS
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