Sunday, February 15, 2015
TORONTO — AMAPCEO, the union representing over 12,000 public sector employees across Ontario, is pleased to announce that after two years, a first contract was ratified with the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).
In 2012, employees at the OAC turned to AMAPCEO to seek union representation in their workplace, an arm's-length agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. As with most workers who want to be part of a union, the 56 OAC employees expressed a desire for greater job security, work-life balance, a fair process for resolving workplace issues and recognition for the value of their work in providing an important, high-quality service to the public.
AMAPCEO President, Dave Bulmer, said “Achieving this first contract at the Ontario Arts Council is an important step forward and recognition of the role that arts organizations have in the public service.” One of the key union organizers, Pat Bradley, and a member on the Bargaining Team noted that “It makes us very happy to know that we are part of a larger union. There is something there now, that wasn’t before, to offer us support, defend our rights and provide a problem solving approach to labour relations.”
The Ontario Arts Council has existed for over 50 years offering grants and services to professional, Ontario-based artists and arts organizations, supporting arts education, Aboriginal arts, community arts, crafts, dance, Franco-Ontarian arts, literature, media arts, multidisciplinary arts, music, theatre, touring, and visual arts. Bulmer added “I am thrilled and proud to formally welcome these workers to the AMAPCEO family. Together, as 12,000 strong, we will continue to defend good, public sector unionized jobs, and defend workers’ rights in the workplace and throughout Ontario.”