Wednesday, December 13, 2023
As members know, AMAPCEO and the other members of the coalition of 40 unions fighting Bill 124 are still awaiting a decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal on the government’s appeal of the Superior Court’s decision to strike down the unconstitutional wage-limiting legislation.
AMAPCEO has maintained ongoing formal and informal conversations with the OPS Employer while we await the Court of Appeal’s decision.
During this time, we have also continued to keep members informed of news relating to awards or agreements granted to other groups affected by the legislation.
Recently, an independent arbitrator released a decision regarding the corrections unit represented by OPSEU. This is another bargaining unit designated as essential who had access to arbitration. The arbitrator awarded a retroactive wage increases of 3 per cent (2022), 3.5 per cent (2023), and 3 per cent (2024). This is an additional 2, 2.5, and 2 per cent, respectively, above the capped 1 per cent increase mandated by Bill 124.
While this arbitration decision does not directly impact AMAPCEO (or OPSEU Unified) members with the ‘right to strike’, this is of interest to all OPS employees because it will aid us all (all OPS unions) in our arguments for a respectful remedy.
To that end, we continue to remain open to discussions with the OPS Employer and will continue to keep our eye on the outcomes of any additional arbitration decisions that land in the coming weeks.
We urge all AMAPCEO members impacted by Bill 124 to keep their eyes on their inbox and to ensure that their subscription preferences are up to date.