Dear members,

We have forced the government to change its mandate for wage increases for HCCSS workers during the government’s Bill 124 wage suppression period!

The current government used Bill 124 to impose three years of low wage settlements on all broader public sector workers, including HCCSS employees. CUPE and other unions opposed this law and, after years of struggle, defeated it. After much delay, the government conceded defeat and repealed Bill 124.

However, the Treasury Board did not provide an adequate mandate to settle the HCCSS Bill 124 wage re-openers. As a result, all HCCSS workers were unable to bargain a satisfactory wage re-opener with the HCCSSs.

In response, CUPE and others began to campaign to get a satisfactory wage re-opener, bringing a mass electronic signature campaign to Queen’s Park, protesting outside the Treasury Board, raising our case in the media, and writing the Treasury Board president demanding better treatment and explaining why this was in the government’s interest too.

Thanks to your campaign, the HCCSSs have received a new mandate from Treasury to bargain with us. We go back to bargaining with the HCCSSs on May 24.

We have momentum. But we need to keep the pressure up — now more than ever. Following the membership webinar on April 22, hundreds of members signed on to the “Workers and Families Can’t Wait” hand-written petition demanding a fair wage increase, better staffing, and a better quality of care.

We have made progress, but for the next month we must step up and push Treasury’s mandate to get every dollar that we are due.

It’s time to make sure that every single member of all eight CUPE HCCSS bargaining units signs on now! Working together, we can win.

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.

Dear members,

We wanted to give you an update about HCCSS central bargaining, the majority petition, our media conference, and next steps.

As you know, over 30 members on the central bargaining committee met with the Employer last week. The employer’s wage proposal was insulting. Your representatives stood strong at the bargaining table and presented the petition to the employer in response. The central bargaining committee stood strong because together we have been organizing, planning and acting: in just the last two months HCCSS locals have held a media conference in front of the Ontario Legislature, organized a petition calling on the government to negotiate a fair increase and protested outside of the Treasury Board’s office when the Employer offered us a terrible wage increase.

The HCCSS Media Conference

On Tuesday, January 16th HCCSS members held a media conference on the grounds of Queens Park right in front of the Ontario Legislature. Unit Vice President for Mississauga Halton HCCSS CUPE Local 966 Maxine Laing and HCCSS Representative for CUPE’s Health Care Workers Coordinating Committee Brett Geneau both spoke about the value of the services members deliver, how our members are struggling to get by and how important it is that the government negotiate a fair and equitable wage increase. CUPE Ontario Secretary Treasurer Yolanda McLean joined us at the podium and provided her support.

We brought four big boards that included the 1700 petition signatures and presented them to two Ontario NDP MPPs, Jill Andrews and Jessica Bell, who will present the signatures to the Ontario Legislature when they are back in session this month.

The media conference was picked up by Global News and Radio Canada. Click here to watch Brett’s interview with Global News Toronto.

HCCSS Majority Petition

In just over a month, over 1700 people from across Ontario signed a petition for a fair wage increase. This means over 1700 emails were sent directly to Premier Doug Ford, President of the Ontario Treasury Board Caroline Mulroney, local MPPs, and Ontario Health President and CEO Matthew Anderson with our targeted messaging. That’s a lot of emails!

Over 52 percent of members working in HCCSS signed the petition, but one Local went above and beyond: Local 101 organized 89 percent of their membership to sign. This Local achieved the highest participation from among our 8 bargaining units by phone banking, sending text blasts, and connecting with their members all through December and January.

Local 101 Unit Chair for HCCSS members Joanne Turnbull said she was “relentless” in contacting her members and explaining the importance of signing and sharing the petition. “Members at our Local’s town hall really understood the significance and were engaged” Joanne said.

She spent “days on end providing a consistent amount of communication and everyone quickly jumped on board.”

We want to recognize that 52 percent of the overall membership of Locals working in HCCSS is something to be proud of. This is just the beginning: we’re getting organized, gaining strength, and putting pressure on the Ford Government to offer us a fair and equitable wage increase!

Protest at the Treasury Board

Last week over 30 members drove across the province and prepared to bargain, but instead members were offered the same insulting wage increase that was offered in December. The central bargaining committee was disappointed and angry.

So instead of heading home with nothing, we decided to make something out of it.

On Thursday, we walked over to the Treasury Board’s office in downtown Toronto and protested for two hours. We brought signs, we chanted, and we brought attention to home care in Ontario.

Global News covered us again and interviewed Brett Geneau a second time.

The segment was the main feature on Global Toronto’s 12pm news that day. The press release for the protest was published in the Financial Post, Yahoo News, and Morning Star.

Next Steps

Right now, we don’t have future bargaining dates scheduled for the wage reopener. The employer has stated that the Treasury Board is signaling that they could change and improve their offer – they ‘ve said it could take months. Stay tuned for next steps in our wage-reopener campaign. Our goal is to put maximum pressure on the Ford government to negotiate fair wage increases for HCCSS workers. Workers cannot wait any longer.

The Employer has told members that the changeover date from HCCSS to SSO (Shared Service Organization) will be June 28. We will keep you updated if we hear any information related to this. We’re also planning to have a town hall meeting soon, so please be on the lookout for an email with details.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact a member of your Executive team.

Dear members,

We wanted to give you a brief update on how our day of bargaining went. In short, it was very disappointing.

Over thirty members working in HCCSS, including your Local Executives, travelled from across Ontario to bargain at the Sheraton Hotel with the Employer. We had expected to be presented with a better offer than what we were offered at our last day of bargaining on December 6th. Instead, 12 Employer representatives sat across the table from us and gave us the exact same offer: an abysmal and insulting wage increase.

What we were offered today was completely disrespectful and shows how little the Ford Government and the Ontario Treasury Board values our work.

We are taking this opportunity to organize a protest in front of the Ontario Treasury Board near Queens Park tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 10:30 a.m. We have asked for the support of other Locals in Toronto to show solidarity and come to the protest. Please let us know if you or your communities would like to join us. The Financial Post has already published our media release about the protest, and we are hoping to get other media coverage as well.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. We will update you again next week with more information and next steps.

In solidarity,

Local Executives

Welcome to the new HCCSS bi-monthly newsletter: your one-stop shop for HCCSS updates that matter most.

Dear members,

As we continue to combat changes in Ontario’s health care sector, the Health Care Workers’ Coordinating Committee is introducing our new, bi-monthly newsletter in an effort to communicate with our members in the health care sector more effectively and frequently.

We know that there are many challenges affecting health care workers today, including Bill 135, PSLRTA and the merging of all 14 LIHNs/HCCSSs to create Ontario Health atHome. During this process of change, it is important for all CUPE members working in home care to stay strong and united as a union.

Your representatives are working diligently to ensure that you and your coworkers in home and community care continue to provide the excellent service that you give day in and day out.

Keep an eye out in your inboxes for your next HCCSS newsletter in January, 2024.

What is Bill 135?

The Ontario government has introduced Bill 135, Convenient Care at Home Act.

The Bill would merge all fourteen LHINs/HCCSSs to create OH atHome. The objective of this organization will include the provision of home and community care services to patients, the provision of placement management services and the provision of operational supports, including care co-ordination services, to health service providers and Ontario Health Teams.

New regulation-making powers are contemplated that will govern aspects of OH atHome and the amalgamation of the HCCSSs. These regulations will not likely be made public until after the legislation passes.

HCCSS employees will transfer to OH atHome and collective agreements will transfer with the employees.

The merger, however, will likely require the restructuring of bargaining units. The legislation indicates that the Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act [PSLRTA] will be used for this merger. It is not yet clear what bargaining unit structure the government, OH or the HCCSSs favour regarding this restructuring, but the merger may well result in representation votes.

 

The government has indicated that they are aiming to implement the merger in 2024.

The Bill contemplates the possibility of OH atHome entering into contracts with home care service providers for the assignment of employees to work under the direction of the service provider.

Under this Bill, such employees, however, can remain employees at OH atHome.

While maintaining employment with OH atHome is positive, this does raise some concerns about potential interference by the service providers. The ministry has promised further discussions on this issue.

This reform will create uncertainty for HCCSS workers and fails to address the key problems in the home care sector. Unfortunately, the government indicates that they intend to maintain contracting out as the predominant form of home care delivery.

However, this reform does not directly privatize or cut HCCSS services further. That modest step is a victory given the current government’s orientation. But many problems remain and the uncertainty about where this government will ultimately take home care remains.

Together we will continue advocating for a fully public home care system that provides fair wages and working conditions for all home care workers while providing the best home care to the people of Ontario.

What is PSLRTA?

The Public Sector Labour Relations act is the legislation that provides a mechanism to deal with mergers, amalgamations and restructurings in the municipal, school board, hospital sectors and LIHN-initiated health services.

PSLRTA establishes certain rights for affected workers and sets a framework to determine the appropriate bargaining units in an amalgamated workplace and which union should represent the workers.

When workplaces covered by PSLRTA amalgamate, merge or restructure, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”) will, in consultation with the affected unions and employers, determine what bargaining units are appropriate in the new workplace and the voting process if no one union represents 80% of workers in the post merger bargaining unit and representation votes are to take place.

When we have more information about what the post-merger bargaining unit will look like we will share it.

What happens to my Collective Agreement during a restructuring/merger?

During a restructuring/merger process under PSLRTA, workers covered by a collective agreement continue to be covered by that collective agreement. Rates of pay, benefits and working conditions continue to apply as they did prior to the vote. That’s the law.

When two or more unions represent employees before the representation vote, the collective agreements from these unions form a composite collective agreement after the vote. The composite collective agreement, along with the successful union’s seniority, grievance procedure, job posting, and layoff and recall language remain in effect until a new first collective agreement is negotiated between the employer and the successful union.

CUPE has a great track record of negotiating the best language from each union’s collective agreement into the new collective agreement as well as harmonizing wages to the highest rates.

Over the next few weeks and months more information will be shared about the restructuring process. Throughout this process, it will be important to stay focused on preparation for bargaining to improve wages and working conditions and protect jobs and services.