Fight over inclusion of paralegal into collective agreement: OPSEU
Following unanimous rejection of the employer's final contract offer, workers with West Toronto Community Legal Services have delivered a unanimous strike mandate to their bargaining team.
The vote was triggered during Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 525's negotiations with the employer for a new collective agreement. A key sticking point is whether a new paralegal position recently added to the workplace is included in the scope of the bargaining unit. The employer insisted that the new position be excluded from the bargaining unit, said the union.
When the local took the fight to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the employer reacted by halving the monetary portion in their final offer to finance costs at the board, according to OPSEU.
"First of all, there's no way their funder, Legal Aid Ontario, should allow that kind of misspending," said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU president. "In essence, they're making their workers pay for the employer's fight at the labour board by slashing what was in their final offer. They've made it clear they plan to use the savings to fund their challenge at the board.
OPSEU Local 525 members at West Toronto Community Legal Services provide legal and housing support to low-income individuals in Toronto's west end, including appeals of Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program decisions.
