The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) board and Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 259 have avoided strike action.
The authority and the union that represents about 110 GRCA staff have ratified a new collective agreement.
In July OPSEU Local 259 filed for conciliation to avoid a potential strike because the GRCA was “refusing to treat its front-line staff as fairly as it treats its managers,” an OPSEU press release stated at the time. The recent deal includes wage increases, protection from contracting out and other improvements, according to union members.
“This is a great deal for our members, and great News for all the people in the communities they serve,” said OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
“Everybody wins when workers are paid a decent and fair wage. And everybody wins when a local like this bargains language that will prevent their jobs from being contracted out or privatized.”
The four year contact provides union members with wage increases of 1.75 per cent in 2018 and 1.5% per year in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In addition the contract provides “market adjustments to specific job grades over the four year span,” the GRCA press release stated, including that the financial impact has been accounted for in the 2018 budget.
The new contact also includes improvements to time-off and on-call provisions. “We value the work and dedication of our employees and are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement without any disruption to our operation,” said Helen Jowett, GRCA board chair.
“We want to thank the bargaining team for working toward a fiscally responsible resolution that provides fair, equitable and competitive compensation to our employees.”
OPSEU Local 259 represents GRCA planners, assistant superintendents and environmental officers.
“I’m tremendously proud of these members for standing up for themselves and the work they do protecting the Grand River watershed,” said OPSEU first vice-President/treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida. “From each and every one of our union’s 155,000 members: congratulations.”
