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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017
OPSEU
reaches deal
with Ontario
hospitals
TORONTO — Hospital profes-
sionals, represented by the On-
tario Public Service Employees
Union (OPSEU), reached a ten-
tative contract extension on Oct.
12 with the Ontario Hospital As-
sociation (OHA).
If ratified by both sides, the
contract extension will extend
the current central collective
agreement by three years, to
March 31, 2022, according to
OPSEU.
The contract extension with
The contract extension with
OPSEU's hospital professionals
maintains all provisions con-
tained in the current collective
agreement reached 18 months
ago and it provides for annual
wage increases of 1.75 per cent
effective April 1, 2019, said the
union.
"I'm very excited by the out-
come we've reached: It gives
our members and the hospitals
stability for an additional three
years," said Sandi Blancher, chair
of the OPSEU negotiating team.
Labelle, who is also chair of
the union's Hospital Profession-
als Division, said the tentative
agreement reinforces OPSEU's
position as the leader in repre-
senting hospital professionals in
Ontario.
Workers
at Knowles
Centre ratify
agreement
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Gov-
ernment and General Employ-
ees' Union (MGEU) Local 432
members working at Knowles
Centre, Support Assistance to
Independent Living (SAIL) in
Winnipeg, ratified a new three-
year agreement on Oct 10.
Highlights of the agreement
include significant improve-
ments to vacation and sick leave,
and a new mental-health day,
said the union.
The workers assist older teens
The workers assist older teens
— who've been in care — to be-
gin living independently.
In a separate vote, employees
agreed to a change in their hours
of work, extending their evening
availability.
Sudbury, Ont.,
centre staff
walk out
SUDBURY, Ont. — Ten coun-
selling staff members — working
at the Sudbury Counselling Cen-
tre in Ontario — went on strike
Oct. 16.
Workers at the centre, who are
members of United Steelworkers
(USW) Local 2020, were outside
the building delivering apologies
to clients, said the union.
"The employer is demand-
ing concessions around work-
ing conditions and a re-write of
an employment contract that's
been effective for over 30 years,"
said Lynne Descary, USW staff
representative.
"After four meetings with a
conciliator, we didn't even get
to monetary discussions at the
table," said Descary.
While on strike, the counsel-
ling staff will continue to offer
their children's services, such as
the child witness program, for
vulnerable children in the com-
munity scheduled to appear in
court, according to USW.
Counselling staff offer coun-
selling and psychotherapy, de-
liver employee assistance pro-
grams, partner assault response
for women and men, counselling
for women experiencing sexual
and domestic violence, assis-
tance for male survivors of sex-
ual violence and mental health
counselling.
Photo:
REUTERS/Chris
Helgren
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A striking member of Unifor walks to a picket line past a trailer covered with a Canadian ag reading,
"Canadian Made Matters!" outside the General Motors CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., on Oct. 13.
