Bargaining update, May 28th 2019

CUPE Local 4000 and The Ottawa Hospital recently resorted to interest arbitration to completely resolve all issues related to a renewal collective agreement. This is a normal requirement under the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act, and necessary for this round of bargaining due to impending government legislation.

The Award for a renewed Collective Agreement was issued on May 24, 2019, applying the submissions of the parties and the statutory criteria the Arbitrator is required to consider under the Act, and well as the principles of replication (with Central), comparability, total compensation and demonstrated need.

The full award can be viewed at AWARD LINK. Additionally, the Local will be attempting to book auditorium space at each campus during the week of June 3-7 to respond to any questions members may have. The award will also be on the agenda at the upcoming membership meeting on June 11, 2019 (730 PM).

In summary, the award includes the following;

General wage increases as per the OCHU/OHA Central award

Effective September 29, 2017  1.4% General Wage Increase

Effective September 29, 2018  1.4% General Wage Increase

Effective September 29, 2019  1.6% General Wage Increase

Effective September 29, 2020  1.65% General Wage Increase

Retroactivity:  

Retroactivity to be paid on all paid hours by separate deposit by not later than September 13, 2019. For any Employee whose employment has terminated in the period following September 28, 2017 and for whom the Hospital is unable to make direct deposit, the Hospital will notify the Employee of the entitlement to retroactivity by registered mail to the Employee’s address last known to the Hospital, and the Employee will have an additional sixty (60) days to claim payment from the Hospital.

While these wage increases are lower than what we would expect for our members, they are consistent with CUPE Hospital awards in the Province, and certainly better than what we could expect after rumoured wage restraint legislation is introduced.

Changes to (all consistent with OCHU/OHA Central award):

Probationary Period (9.01), Effect of Absence (9.04 d), Parental Leave (12.07)

 

Massage Coverage

Services of a Registered Massage Therapist will be covered up to a maximum of $375.00 annually using a co-pay model of 20% employee paid, 80% employer paid per visit with customary and reasonable caps as per the industry standard. No referral from a physician is required.

Extended Shifts

During bargaining, it was discovered over 30+ department schedules, affecting over 400 employees,  existed that conflicted with the provisions of the collective agreement. The parties had to address those schedules, as well as implement a process to address introducing extended tours in the future.

Granting of Vacations

New effective dates for submitting vacation requests (twice per year), as well as a provision that employees are to submit vacation time as per the Ontario Employment Standards Act.

Retention Market Premiums

The Employer identified a number of positions within the Trades Classifications that they felt required a Market premium retention bonus. Some of these classifications had been receiving this market premium for a number of years.

The increases to the specific classifications were applied in accordance with the legislated criteria.

Bargainning update May 24th, 2019

Greetings,
On behalf of the Bargaining Committee, I am relieved to announce that the parties have agreed to resolve all remaining outstanding issues in order to achieve a renewed collective agreement.
There are some remaining details to be finalized, but we are confident they will be in place before any further attacks on free collective bargaining are introduced by the Ford Government, including rumoured wage restraints.
Thank you for all your support over this long process. Please understand that no specifics can be discussed until all the paperwork is complete. We will send out details of the renewal collective agreement as soon as we are able.

In solidarity
Lou Burri
President CUPE 4000

Opposition to Ford’s Agenda is Building: Local 4000 Members Join Health Coalition Rally of More than 10000

75% of Ontarians think the Conservatives are going down the ‘wrong path’: poll

On April 30th, Members from our local boarded buses to Toronto joining 10000 others at a rally at

Queen’s Park, to launch a major campaign organized by the Ontario Health Coalition

to protect our public health care system from Ford’s cuts and privatization agenda.

Links to 2 short videos to share on social media are copied below with more to follow:

 

Bargaining Update

CUPE Local 4000 met on two occasions with the Ottawa Hospital in collective bargaining, both times with the assistance of a Mediator. There was a third date scheduled, however the hospital cancelled that date due to “other priorities”.

CUPE Local 4000 continues to pursue proposals prioritized  by the membership with compromises offered in negotiations with the employer. Despite the best efforts of all, including the mediator, the hospital continues to table demands for concessions in response. These are major concessions that the Local simply cannot accept in the best interest of the membership.

Bargaining ended May 9th with the Union tabling a comprehensive package in response to all outstanding issues, as well as an alternative position for the Hospital’s consideration. We expect to hear back from them in the next 7-10 days, and will update the membership as soon as we have an opportunity to review the Employer’s response.

Please watch for updates in the coming days, including at the General Membership meeting on Tuesday May 14 at 730 PM. The floor will be open for suggestions on any potential actions the membership wishes to discuss in order to support the Bargaining Committee in reaching a collective agreement that respectfully reflects our members and the work of our membership.

Les membre du comité de négociation de la section locale 4000 du SCFP s’est réunie à deux reprises avec l’Hôpital d’Ottawa pour les négociations de la convention collectives deux fois avec l’aide d’un médiateur. Une troisième date était prévue, mais l’hôpital a annulé cette date en raison « d’autres priorités ».

Le comité continue de suivre le mandat priorisées par les membres. Cependant, malgré tous les efforts, y compris ceux du médiateur, l’Hôpital continue de faire des demandes de concessions. Ce sont des compromis majeurs qu’on ne peut tout simplement pas accepter dans le meilleur intérêt des membres.

Les négociations ont pris fin hier soir, le 9 mai, avec le dépôt d’une offre par le syndicat en réponse à toutes les questions en suspens, ainsi qu’une autre position à prendre en considération par l’hôpital. Nous espérons avoir de leurs nouvelles dans les 7 à 10 prochains jours et nous informerons les membres dès que nous aurons eu l’occasion de passer en revue la réponse de l’employeur.

Surveillez les mises à jour dans les prochains jours, y compris lors de l’assemblée générale des membres, mardi 14 mai à 19h30. La parole sera donnée pour des suggestions sur des actions potentielles que les membres souhaitent discuter afin d’aider le comité de négociation à conclure un accord qui reflète avec respect le travail de toutes et tous.

In Solidarity,

Lou Burri, President CUPE/SCFP 4000