Back row, left to right: Vickie Neilsen, Adam Nagler, Jason Gartshore, President Dave Bulmer
Front row, left to right: Jennie Miller, Vice President Cynthia Watt, Julie Reeder
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Earlier this month, the 2025 Ontario Public Service (OPS) bargaining team gathered for the first time for training. At AMAPCEO, the work of collective bargaining is supported by the union’s elected leadership, professional staff, legal counsel, and subject matter experts, but at its core is a team of members—just like you.
Bargaining team members are selected from elected candidates across all geographic regions by AMAPCEO’s Bargaining Readiness Working Group (the union’s Executive) and led by the President/CEO. Bargaining training provides the team with the fundamentals and an opportunity to come together with staff and legal counsel to develop strategies for when negotiations begin in 2025.
When they met for training, the 2025 OPS bargaining team quickly discovered that, although they come from different walks of life and are spread across the province, they have a lot in common—including a calling to stand together to fight for a fair deal that protects Ontario’s public services and the professionals who deliver them.
“The negotiation process is what really drew me into bargaining,” explains Julie Reeder, of Eastern Ontario District. “I work to support my colleagues as a Workplace Representative and the collective agreement sets the lines on the road for how we should be treating each other in a professional environment.”
As a fellow Workplace Representative, Adam Nagler of Bay District agrees. “Being a Workplace Rep was really central to my understanding of how the collective agreement protects us. It gives us the opportunity to stand up and ensure that we are treated the way that our legal document demands that we be treated.”
Fair wages are always top of mind for members, especially when the cost of living remains high –and AMAPCEO members deserve a fair deal. However, the collective bargaining process is equally an opportunity to defend and improve workplace rights and protections. These include maintaining the flexible working conditions AMAPCEO members need, improving health benefits, and increasing stability for contract workers, among other important workplace improvements.
In the previous round of bargaining, by standing together, AMAPCEO was able to defend our rights to flexible work and our enviable right to grieve unfair denials. Ensuring that these rights are observed was especially important to Vickie Nielsen of Northern Ontario District, a veteran Workplace Representative, when she was working with AMAPCEO on our Alternative Work Arrangement (AWA) campaign:
“I really wanted to become a part of the AWA campaign team and talked with [AMAPCEO President] Dave [Bulmer] about it, because I feel that that's one thing the employer’s going to try to take away from us,” she explains. “But we're professionals. We work well no matter what situation is thrown at us. And I think we should be able to continue that flexibility, when we’ve proven we can succeed.”
Jason Gartshore of GTA North, a veteran ERC Representative and former Board Director, has a clear message for members: “If you truly love and enjoy and value the items that you have in the agreement right now,” he says, “but you want to see something bigger or better, you need to support the union, you need to show up and be there, and you need to communicate and discuss and talk with your fellow members.”
Jennie Miller of Midtown (District Vice-Chair) agrees: “The last couple of years have been hard on us. Now is the time to stand up and make gains and improve our working conditions.”
Dave Bulmer, President/CEO, was immediately struck by the strength of the 2025 team: “Through the week of training, the 2025 OPS Bargaining Team quickly gelled and demonstrated that they were more than ready to stand together to fight for what AMAPCEO members deserve. But to replicate the success of recent rounds, they will need the support of the entire membership.”
Support your bargaining team by keeping an eye out for ongoing updates at amapceo.on.ca/bargaining/ops and by ensuring your email subscription preferences are up to date.
Answers to your most frequently asked questions about bargaining can be found on the OPS Bargaining web page. If you have questions about the bargaining process you don’t see there, please contact bargaining@amapceo.on.ca.