Tentative agreement at Northwood; OPSEU files unfair bargaining practice
Montreal city workers’ agree to tentative deal
MONTREAL — The largest union representing City of Montreal employees — the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 429 — for the inside workers’ union, announced that a tentative agreement has been reached with their employer on July 9.
Talks wrapped up following two years of negotiations. The new contract will set out the working conditions of almost 10,000 city employees, says the union.
“The negotiations weren’t always easy due to the pandemic, but we managed to get things done with the help of a mediator,” says Francine Bouliane, president of CUPE 429.
Union members will have an opportunity to vote on and ratify the agreement at a general meeting on Sept. 7.
Tentative agreement at Northwood
HALIFAX – Unifor, Local 4606 reached a tentative agreement on July 8 with Northwood seniors centre at the Halifax long-term care facility.
“The bargaining committee worked hard to achieve improvements for these workers, who bore the brunt of the COVID crisis in long-term care in Nova Scotia,” says Linda MacNeil, Unifor Atlantic regional director.
The deal covers 520 continuing care assistants, licensed practical nurses, dietary aides, retirement living assistants, utility workers, housekeeping, cooks, cook assistants, seamstress, maintenance, laundry workers, stores clerks, area support clerks and painters.
“The pandemic revealed how difficult conditions are in long-term care. This tentative agreement takes steps to address key concerns for these workers and provides a foundation to build on for the future,” says Angela Strong, Unifor Local 4606 unit chair.
OPSEU files unfair bargaining practice
TORONTO — The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) filed an unfair labour practice charge on July 7 with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) against the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto.
“Management and their incompetent legal team haven’t just mishandled contract talks, they’ve purposely derailed the bargaining process by refusing to treat front-line workers with dignity and respect,” says Warren (Smokey) Thomas, Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) president.
The workers have been on strike since June 15.
Ontario university staff gain pension plan
TORONTO — After a decade of efforts to find a long-term solution to concerns over their retirement security, employees at three Ontario universities have a new pension plan covering 35,000 members and managing more than $10 billion in assets.
“This is truly a ground-breaking achievement that has been years in the making,” says Marty Warren, Ontario director of the United Steelworkers (USW), representing workers who are members of the new university pension plan, which officially comes into effect on July 1.
The plan is defined benefit, jointly sponsored and covers employees and retirees from the University of Toronto, Queen’s University and the University of Guelph, including more than 6,000 workers represented by the USW, says the union.
The pension plan, which has been registered with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), replaces five separate pension plans that previously existed at the three universities, says USW.
