Latest updates
- Learn more about how Bill 124 affects collective bargaining.
- Your PHO Bargaining Team members have been announced.
- Make sure your personal email with AMAPCEO is up to date by visiting your Member Dashboard and clicking Edit Profile.
Last updated: January 11, 2023
Learn more about the collective bargaining process.
Learn more about Bill 124 and how it affects us.
Your bargaining team
Member-driven bargaining teams are a crucial part of securing a strong collective agreement. Meet the members of your PHO Bargaining Team.
Sunil Varughese
Bio to come.
Maurice Coppin
Maurice Coppin is Communicable Disease Consultant at Public Health Ontario with 11 years of experience. Coppin also has almost a decade of involvement with the union, volunteering as a Workplace Representative (WPR) in 2013 shortly after joining AMAPCEO. He has also served as a WPR mentor, and currently sits on the Employee Relations Committee and Workplace Relations Committee WRC. He is a District Delegate for University of Toronto South and an active member of the Black Caucus.
“My experience gives me a unique insight into the issues and concerns affecting the work and personal life of AMAPCEO members.”
Coppin is looking forward to using the skills honed from his experience as a conduit between AMAPCEO members and the Employer to benefit to the bargaining team.
Frequently asked questions
What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining occurs when a group of people in a workplace band together to increase their negotiating power. There is a greater likelihood of success together than there is apart, so it is also about demonstrating our collective will and resolve.
These negotiations between employees and management lead to a legally binding collective agreement that details many of the terms and conditions of our employment, including wages, working conditions, job security, and more.
This collective agreement also ensures the employer consults with us and that we work collaboratively to seek solutions on matters that affect us. It means our workplaces are governed with transparency and fairness.
When does bargaining start?
Stay tuned for updates.
Our current collective agreement expires on March 31, 2022.
The existing terms and conditions of the current collective agreement remain frozen in place until a new collective agreement comes into effect. The new agreement may have retroactive measures.
How will I get updates during bargaining?
Make sure your contact information with AMAPCEO is up-to-date, and that you are subscribed to receive our emails. Visit our Subscribe page if you haven’t opted-in to receive our emails.
Signed members also receive exclusive updates and event invitations. If you haven’t become a signed member of AMAPCEO, you can do so at no additional cost at amapceo.ca/membership.
We will also continually update this webpage with updates as they become available. And the union’s leadership will meet with members either virtually or in-person, as public health regulations permit, to update members on progress.
How were our bargaining goals set?
Every AMAPCEO member was able to take part in a survey asking us where we desire improvements to the current collective agreement.
The survey results were provided to the bargaining team, staff, and union leadership to draft the broad bargaining priorities.
These results, further informed by research, additional consultation, and legal advice, will be used to generate more specific bargaining plans. The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for reviewing and approving this mandate.
Why is it important to support my colleagues and union during bargaining?
We have worked hard to achieve the current terms and conditions of our employment. Supporting your colleagues, the bargaining team, and our union, helps demonstrate our collective strength and our resolve to securing a fair contract. We are stronger together.
Union leadership and local AMAPCEO activists may also ask you to take specific actions to demonstrate your solidarity. This could include displaying a flag on your desk, using a union background during a video call, or attending an event.
These actions serve as proof of member cohesion and support for AMAPCEO. This can speed up the bargaining process and result in improved collective agreements for all members.
How are we affected by Bill 124?
Bill 124 is Ontario's unconstitutional wage-restraint legislation.
The legislation limits public sector workers’ compensation increases to a maximum of one per cent a year for three years—including for unionized workers as their contracts expire.
What this means is that when their contracts expire, unionized public sector workers’ compensation increases are capped at one per cent a year for the following three years, regardless of what workers may negotiate with employers through collective bargaining.
For AMAPCEO members at Public Health Ontario (PHO), this means the period is from April 1, 2022–March 31, 2025.
Increases based on merit or performance do not count towards the one per cent cap.
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