Bargaining changes for OPP / Unionization rates slip: StatsCan / Firefighters in Nanaimo, B.C. ratify deal
Bargaining changes proposed for OPP
TORONTO — Changes proposed to bargaining laws surrounding the Ontario Provincial Police will ensure consistency for all cops across the province, according to the government.
On Nov. 19, the province introduced amendments to the Ontario Provincial Police Collective Bargaining Act of 2006. Should the proposal pass, the management rights clause would be moved from the legislation and into the collective agreements for uniformed and civilian staff. It will affect about 9,000 Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) members.
According to Madeleine Meilleur, community safety and correctional services minister, the amendments would keep OPP officers in line with the framework governing municipal police services. That includes the OPPA’s collective agreements and the Police Services Act.
"The proposed change will make the system fairer across the province and will not impact the OPP’s ability to deliver on its public safety mandate," Meilleur said. "The bill will ensure greater consistency between the labour relations framework of the OPP and municipal police services." An effective date has yet to be determined.
Firefighters sign deal with City of Nanaimo
NANAIMO, B.C. — Firefighters in Nanaimo, B.C. have ratified a new deal.
After more than two years at the bargaining table and failed mediation, the City of Nanaimo and International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 905 settled on a collective agreement last week. The deal was ratified through interest arbitration, according to the city.
As part of the 21-month agreement, firefighters will get a 5.5 per cent wage hike as well as an improved pension benefit plan. The tenth-year firefighter rate was also bumped up in exchange for scheduling provisions that reduce costs for benefits, overtime and wages for new recruits.
"I am pleased that a settlement has been reached on this critical agreement between the City of Nanaimo and the IAFF," said mayor John Ruttan. "Bargaining is often a challenging process. I would like to acknowledge all parties for their time and commitment to successfully concluding these important discussions."
Firefighters had been without a contract since 2010, and the first round of bargaining started in the spring of 2011.
Unionization rates sinking: StatsCan
OTTAWA — Canada’s unionization rate has crumbled since the 1980s, according to Statistics Canada.
Between 1981 and 2012, unionization rates dropped from 38 per cent to 30 per cent, noted a recent report from Statistics Canada. Most of that slump took place during the 1980s and 1990s.
Unionization rates among men — especially those aged between 25 and 44 — dwindled from 42 per cent to 29 per cent, while women remained stable at about 30 per cent.
"Since 1999, the overall rate remained stable at 30 per cent, despite ongoing changes in the employment mix and changes in the unionization rate within industries," the report said.
Before that, from 1981 to 1998, a portion of the unionization rate decline could be attributed to employment shifts from highly-unionized to lower-unionized industries and jobs.
And British Columbia experienced the lion’s share of the downturn. Its unionization rate fell from 43 per cent to 30 per cent over the 30-year period — whereas Manitoba showed only the slightest drop, from 38 per cent to 35 per cent. All of the provinces experienced some form of downswing in union rates.
