After ten weeks on the picket line, Local 276, representing the valiant office and clerical staff of the Grey Bruce Health Unit, has emerged triumphant with a three-year agreement, including wage increases totalling 12 per cent.

The long and bitter strike brought out a great sense of solidarity and overwhelming support from the communities of Grey and Bruce Counties, where 27 OPSEU women worked to counter an employer policy of spending freely on buildings and top brass, and pinching pennies on front-line staff.

The strike began May 1, and effectively ended in the wee hours of July 10, with the signing of a three-year tentative deal. The contract included wage increases of three, one, three, one and four per cent. The final increase will come Nov. 1, 2009.

Members of the office and clerical unit work in many programs at the unit including vaccine preventable diseases, rabies, bird flu, west nile, safe water, food safety, environment, sexual health, immunization clinics and many other health related programs that protect the health and well being of Grey and Bruce residents.

“It was a tough battle, but we saw such tremendous support from the community,” said Linda Owens, a member of the bargaining team and the voice of the Local during the strike. “We had such total solidarity within the unit, and many local individuals, businesses and unions went out of their way to help us out.”

Tremendous morale

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who visited the picket lines several times, commented on the tremendous morale of the striking members. “They fought long and hard to achieve this victory,” he said. “My hat is off to the bargaining team and all of the members who did what they had to do to achieve this settlement.”

Patty Rout, the union’s First Vice-President/Treasurer, was in Owen Sound when the settlement was reached and was on hand to congratulate the workers. “These women showed a lot of courage, heart and determination,” she said.

The strike was primarily about wage rates. The members wanted to catch up to workers doing similar work for related employers in neighbouring counties and for other clerical work in Grey-Bruce.

But the Health Unit would not sweeten its offer. As workers walked the lines, the union bombarded the local radio airwaves and community newspapers with ads highlighting the employer’s spending on top administration, creating new positions and a constructing a sparkling new waterfront building.

After two months, the team was called back to the table only to receive an unacceptable offer from the employer. “The employer offered to change the extra one per cent in year three of the contract from a half year to a whole year. That’s one half of one per cent or about $190.00 per person,” said Owens.

This offer was rejected by the team, and by 77 per cent of the striking workers in a vote. The response of the bargaining team was to step up fundraising, requesting help from the Ontario Federation of Labour affiliates and Labour Councils across the province.

A week later, the employer came back with a better offer. Still the employer still wanted to lay off ten of the employees. This concession would not appear in the final deal. All of the employees will return to work.

“We demonstrated in that first vote they could not starve us out – that we had the resources of our union, our community and the labour movement behind us,” Owens said.

The union’s ratification vote was held July 11 with 82 per cent voting in favour.

On July 14, the Board of Health ratified the deal for the employer side, meaning the strike was over.

“Now we would like a smooth return to work and to get things to return to normal as soon as possible in our workplace,” Owens said.

Health Care Support Index