Today, 40 OPSEU/SEFPO bargaining teams, representing community support workers across Ontario, filed for conciliation in a historic mass coordinated bargaining action. They join community workers from OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario who have already filed, amounting to more than 70 children, community and social services bargaining teams to-date, with more intending to file in the coming weeks.
Many of these teams represent small, individual bargaining units whose employers don’t receive enough government funding to provide wage increases that keep up with the cost-of-living. Where they do get wage increases, those are often followed by layoffs because of underfunding.
Now, after months of provincewide coordination, workers from both unions have united to take their fight directly to the funder: the Ford government. Their demands are clear: 6.5% or more retroactive wages to catch up with their counterparts after Ford’s illegal Bill 124 wage freeze, and long-term, funded wage increases.
The workers at these community support agencies provide critical services. They include social workers, child therapists, addictions counsellors, shelter workers, legal aid staff and countless other frontline social services workers. They are some of the lowest paid workers in the public sector and have been forced to turn to food banks, moonlight in second or even third jobs, and rack up debt to afford to live.
By filing for conciliation in a mass action like this, they are sending a clear message that this is not bargaining as usual. Workers are united in this fight be case they know that they – and the services they provide – are worth fighting for.
Bargaining teams from OPSEU/SEFPO who have filed for conciliation include:
- Community Living Chatham-Kent
- Community Living Wallaceburg
- Community Living Elgin
- New Frontiers Support Services
- Crest Support Services
- Community Living London
- Ingersoll Support Services Inc.
- Huron University College
- Huron House Boys Home
- John McGivney Children’s Centre
- Community Living North Perth
- Community Living Hanover
- Community Living Oakville
- Central West Specialized Developmental Services
- Norfolk Association for Community Living
- Youth Resources Niagara Inc.
- Lynwood Charlton Centre
- Owen Sound Family Health Team
- Canadian Mental Health Association, Hamilton Branch
- Pathstone Mental Health
- George R. Force Group Homes, as operated by Banyan Community Services Inc.
- Access Community Services Inc.
- Community Living and Respite Northumberland
- Community Living Central York
- Community Living Parry Sound
- Community Living South Muskoka
- Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society
- Sandgate, Women’s Shelter of York Region Inc.
- John Howard Society of the Kawarthas
- Addiction Services Central Ontario
- Community Living Trent Highlands
- Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services
- Madawaska Valley Association for Community Living
- Canadian Mental Health Association- Addictions and Mental Health Services – Hastings Prince Edward
- Pathways to Independence
- Connexion Family Health Team
- Ongwanada – RNs/RPNs
- Ongwanada – Prof O&C Service
- Community Living Prince Edward
- Community Living Quinte West
- Community Living Renfrew County South
- North York Women’s Shelter
- Sistering – A Woman’s Place
- Aptus Treatment Centre
- Montage Support Services of Toronto
- Surrey Place
- Central Toronto Youth Services
- Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto
- Legal Aid Ontario – Districts
- Legal Aid Ontario – Provincial Office
- The Salvation Army Broadview Village
- Strides Toronto
- Surex Community Services
- Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre
- Community Living Thunder Bay
- NorWest CHC
- Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex
OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario represent more than 50,000 workers in Ontario’s Broader Public Sector (BPS) community-based social services, health services and universities.