Report from Local 331 - Whitby Mental Health

 

Bargaining stalls, team requests no-board report

The bargaining team for Local 331, Whitby Mental Health, is more than frustrated with the lack of progress at the table with the new employer. Our team will be requesting a no-board report in conciliation with the Ministry of Labour and will move to arbitration in accordance with the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act.

This employer advised us that “they do not want to be a Leader” (yet presumably they want to be a Centre of Excellence). Whitby Mental Health has made it clear they do not want an agreement based on the Ontario Public Service language we have worked under for years, nor do they want an agreement similar to a decent BPS hospital contract.

The employer keeps referring to this as our “first Collective Agreement.” It is a first agreement with this employer but this Centre has been organized since the very beginning of CSAO/OPSEU. Our members walked the picket line twice, in 1996 and in 2002, for the agreement we now have.

This local cannot and will not accept an agreement that significantly disadvantages our members and puts this Centre further into hiring and retention difficulties, especially in the GTA-905 competitive labour market with its high living costs.

I want to thank Lester Yearwood and the OPSEU staff for their hard work on this matter. The OPSEU Local 331 bargaining team has worked hard and is solid to achieve the best collective agreement for our members who deserve no less, thank you to a wonderful group of hard working activists. Our membership is not prepared to settle for less!

We are off to wherever this process continues to lead us. I wish to thank you for your support and look forward to your continuing support!

Joan Gates

President, Local 331