Tuesday, November 29, 2022
This afternoon, an Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down the public sector wage-capping legislation Bill 124.
AMAPCEO could not be prouder to be a founding member of the coalition of 40 unions that achieved this legal victory. Since the legislation was first introduced in 2019, our stance on Bill 124 has remained firm: it is an attack on collective bargaining and an unconscionable violation of Charter rights.
Today, the Ontario court agreed.
Many of our members will surely have questions about how this decision impacts you, especially those of you who are currently engaged in ongoing negotiations or who have recently ratified your collective agreement.
The legal processes involved here are complex and, in spite of the significance of this decision, still in the early phases. Your union will continue to keep you informed, by email and on the website, as we know more specific details about how these legal processes will unfold. Both AMAPCEO collective agreements signed under Bill 124 (Ontario Public Service and Ontario Health – Quality Unit) include language that either protects rights to obtain a Bill 124 remedy or renegotiate monetary issues.
What we do know is that AMAPCEO—along with our union siblings— urged the government time and time again to repeal their own legislation. Time and time again they refused. And so, while we urge them to abide by the court’s decision, we are unsurprised to learn that they plan to appeal this decision.
If that is the case, rest assured that AMAPCEO, as part of this larger coalition of unions, will fight the appeal and will continue to fight this legislation every step of the way.
In the meantime, today marks an important victory for labour and for the more than 700,000 public sector workers affected by this legislation.
As AMAPCEO members, your strength, solidarity, and support throughout this fight have been critical. In standing with each other and with the rest of the public sector labour movement, you have shown that you will not stand by as your rights are trampled.
While the war against Bill 124 may not be over, today a decisive blow for justice has been struck.
Today we celebrate.
Stronger together,
