When employees negotiate together, they achieve better results and, in turn, promote fairness and consistency in the workplace. Collective bargaining on pay also reduces the wage gap for women and for racialized workers and youth. “Collective bargaining ensures fairness and stability in industrial relations,” said Mr. Bulmer. “Constructive negotiations that lead to a strong contract will help everyone focus on what they do best at work. And for AMAPCEO members, that means planning and delivering high-quality public services in this province. Collective bargaining occurs when a group of people join forces in a workplace to increase their bargaining power. There is more chance of joint success than separate, so it is also a matter of demonstrating our collective will and determination. Stronger together: The importance of collective bargaining Bargaining Negotiations on a new contract for one AMAPCEO collective bargaining unit are already underway, while bargaining for six more will begin in the new year, union members informed today. Expanded Public Sector Units (PSOs) – including FSRA, OAC, OPS and the two units of the Ombudsman`s Office – usually elect two representative members of their bargaining team. These negotiations between employees and management result in a legally binding collective agreement that sets out many of the terms and conditions of our employment, including wages, working conditions, job security, and more. In the fall, the union will complete the process of recruiting, electing and selecting bargaining team members for all affected units. Negotiations on these new contracts will be subject to the restrictions of Government Law 124 (Law Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations), which limits pay increases in all new collective agreements to one percent per year for three years.

AMAPCEO members` contracts with the Ontario Public Service (PAHO), the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Public Health Ontario (PHO) and both entities with the Ombudsman of Ontario all expire on March 31, 2022. Collective bargaining for new contracts, which together affect more than 14,000 public sector professionals, could begin as early as January 2022. Collective bargaining is the process by which the union and employer negotiate terms and conditions of employment, including wages, benefits, job security, dispute resolution procedures, and more. These are codified in a collective agreement – a written contract between the union and the employer. Those selected by the Executive will join the President and several staff members and legal counsel as a bargaining team. The contract for members of Waypoint, the remaining bargaining unit of AMAPCEO, does not expire until March 30, 2023. In all negotiations, AMAPCEO members are represented at the bargaining table by a small group of representative members, the union president, as well as AMAPCEO employees and legal advisors. Although it is a small team that leads the actual negotiations, all members help set negotiating priorities, and all members will ultimately vote on the preliminary agreement. The union may be able to negotiate increases in your individual salary through collective bargaining with the employer – this is called a general increase. “While Bill 124 has trampled on our constitutional right to free collective bargaining, we will not be deterred from standing up for our interests and fighting for good contracts,” Bulmer said. Select your employer below to find out about your collective bargaining. Registration is mandatory.

While the OHQ is already well underway in the formal negotiation process, preparations for these six other AMAPCEO bargaining units have also been underway in recent months. The union council has set up a willingness to negotiate working group, which works with specialist staff to lay the groundwork for contract negotiations. This includes everything from research and education to communication and member engagement. The Ontario Health and Quality Unit (OHQ) is currently at the bargaining table, its contract expired on March 30, 2020. After interviewing members to determine bargaining priorities, the OHQ bargaining team, consisting of members Kristen McMartin and Alexis Schaink, as well as AMAPCEO staff, has already had several meetings with the OHQ employer, and their work is ongoing. As this is a much larger entity, OPS members will elect 11 shortlisted candidates – one from each of the union`s ridings. The AMAPCEO Executive Committee then selects five to seven of these candidates for the negotiating team on behalf of the Board. The executive will consider a variety of skills, attributes and demographics in its selection.

The other candidates on the shortlist will act as MPs if necessary. This collective agreement also ensures that the employer consults with us and that we work together to find solutions to the issues that affect us. This means that our workplaces are governed with transparency and fairness. In addition to any general increase negotiated with the employer, you may also be entitled to pay increases based on the performance of your current salary, based on your job performance over a 12-month work cycle. You are entitled to an increase in performance pay if your current salary is within the range of your position. All members will be asked to complete a confidential survey to identify and inform the priorities of this round of negotiations – these are the improvements they would like to see in the new contract. The notice period must be between two and eight weeks, depending on the duration of your employment relationship. However, because the OPS is such a large employer, if 500 or more employees are laid off within four weeks, you will have 16 weeks` notice. .