Welcome back the HCCSS newsletter: your one-stop shop for HCCSS updates that matter most.
HCCSS Q&A
What excuse have the HCCSSs offered for not providing a reasonable offer to CUPE for the Bill 124 wage re-opener?
After CUPE and other unions defeated the Ford government’s Bill 124 wage suppression legislation, CUPE re-opened compensation negotiations with the HCCSSs for the three years that had been adversely affected by Bill 124. To date, the HCCSSs have not made a reasonable offer to settle this re-opener, but they have implicitly recognized their offer is insufficient. They say they are awaiting an improved mandate from the Treasury Board.
We note other unions (ONA, COPE) have settled for a similar time-period. The HCCSSs claim this is not a similar situation as these other unions were not bargaining a wage re-opener for retroactive wages but rather a normal collective agreement. We do not accept this excuse. CUPE members should not be penalized for having a collective agreement during the Bill 124 period – a period arbitrarily created by the government. Technicalities over terms of collective agreements are not a reason to treat employees unfairly. We believe we have been patient, but we also believe further delay is not fair to CUPE members – and to the other HCCSS employees who are seeking Bill 124 wage re-openers.
We have written to the Treasury Board president, Caroline Mulroney (Link to letter here) urging her to speed up the internal process within Treasury. Positively, the government now says in its new Budget that it has set aside $2 billion to fund health care compensation settlements, and we expect them to work with all unions in the health care sector to settle re-opener issues in a timely fashion. Meanwhile we are building a powerful campaign to force the government to act more quickly. CUPE HCCSS members have every right to be angry at the PC government for its delay in correcting its failed and unfair policy of wage suppression.
What about OPSEU HCCSS members? Do they have their wage reopener yet?
The employers have not yet negotiated a wage reopener yet with OPSEU HCCSS members either and both OPSEU and CUPE are running campaigns to demand action and fairness. The Provincial Government has settled wage reopener bargaining with crown employees in the Ontario Government, the LCBO and colleges workers. They must do the same with HCCSS members.
Workers & Families Can’t Wait: HCCSS Workers are Ready to Bargain Fair Wages & and Staffing!
On March 8th together we launched the “Workers and Families Can’t Wait” majority hand signature petition calling on the government and HCCSS employers to come to the bargaining table ready to negotiate a fair wage increase and investment in the staffing and services necessary to ensure that all Ontarians have the support they need.
The Provincial Government is giving increases significantly higher than 1% for other broader public sector workers for the period of illegal legislation, and there is no reason they can’t do the same for HCCSS!
The campaign goals are to:
- Have face to face conversations with all CUPE HCCSS members about how their participation in the campaign to build majority worker power to force the Provincial Government and employers back to the table to negotiate a fair wage reopener with HCCSS workers is critical;
- Start conversations with members about what it will take to win – if this next step isn’t enough then we may be moving to strike votes in local bargaining;
- Demonstrate the growing power of CUPE HCCSS members across the province publicly as locals deliver petitions once they reach 60% or more members signatures to local MPP’s calling on MPP’s to demand action.
CUPE HCCSS locals have been meeting to develop plans to talk in person with all members including plans to identify a lead for each work site and a plan to call the members at home who don’t report to the office at all. If you can have conversations with your coworkers about the plan to win in wage reopener bargaining, please contact your Local President to volunteer!
Local Bargaining for 2024 expired Collective Agreements
As part of the Workers & Families Can’t Wait campaign, local bargaining committees should be preparing for local bargaining and requesting bargaining dates from the Employer.
Of the 8 CUPE collective agreements, 6 of the collective agreements expired on March 31, 2024 (ESC, SW, MH, CW, CE and SE), and notice to bargain was sent out prior to the expiry date. Of the other 2 collective agreements, Champlain expires at the end of July and Waterloo Wellington expires December 2024.
The local bargaining committees have started to build their proposals and are on track to enter negotiations. There is a coordinated plan to file for conciliation and your servicing representative will share this information along with coordinated bargaining proposals on wages, and employment security.
Mythbusters
Why do we have to bargain a wage re-opener?
The PC government tried to suppress public sector wages for three years through Bill 124. CUPE and other unions fought back and won, forcing the government to withdraw Bill 124. But now employers and unions must retro-actively re-open wage rates applied under Bill 124 for three past years. CUPE is fighting to get a better deal.
Has any HCCSS union reached a satisfactory settlement of its Bill 124 wage re-opener?
No – but CUPE and OPSEU are campaigning to force the government and the HCCSSs to do better. The government has recently been forced to set aside $2 billion for health sector settlements and we are determined to get a fair deal for HCCSS employees.