CTO, CWWA and HPro3 and actors

Good day readers!!

It was great to have a March break and rest for the battle that the employer has touched off.

Figures that someone would do this by memo from afar so this is what was hand delivered face to face to the Vanier Superintendent, with a similar letter to Maplehurst. The Bailiff boss was sent one as well by email ...

" As you may be aware, the employer unilaterally withdrew Correctional Officers and Bailiff's ability to accrue compensating time for overtime worked. This has caused an undue financial burden by paying out members earned time in one check without their involvement or planning.

Some members will now have issues to deal with as a result of this decision, and our local Executive is shocked that this decision was done without local contact, consultation or a transition period. Our local labour relations have been built on communication and a level of professional respect. The manner in which this change in policy was done undermines that ability to build on our past achievements.

The employees affected by this change will now have issues, namely:

• To utilize accommodations where CTO could have been used,
• Unclassified staff are going to lose hours and possibly rollover status,
• Staff will lose pay and time off for stress relief to offset sick time losses due to the inability to top up sick time benefits,
• Further feelings of harassment and discrimination by an employer who feels sick time is a central part of our work mentality, in essence, convincing us we are bad employees.

Effective today Friday, March 27, 2009, I am providing you with formal written notice of Local 234's withdrawal from the compressed work week agreements in place for Correctional Officers at the Vanier Centre in ninety days.

Furthermore, we are advising our members to withdraw from using the HPRO3 when making themselves available for overtime. This will take effect in thirty days. We are also asking members to step down from any and all acting assignments immediately.

Please feel free to contact me, as we are interested in assisting you in devising eight hour based schedules that provide for the health and safety of the members.

Sincerely,

Emidio Casullo

President, Local 234

OPSEU"

In following with this, Local 234 will have an emergency meeting on Tuesday with two sessions, one at 1700 hours and one at 1930 hrs, for night shift and day shift to have questions answered. Please check the right side column for details.

In solidarity, Emidio.

Local 234 Voting

Good day to all who are reading, whether you are union or not.

As the Local voting is coming to a close this Wednesday night I wish to thank the members who attended our emergency meeting on Tuesday evening. Everyone expressed their views respectfully and with passion and I hope every Local gets to do the same by Friday.

The bargaining team position was reiterated and discussed at length. It was great to hear opposing views and the usual intelligent discussion by all. It affirms my faith in our Local and our ability to deal with anything that will come our way. I stated my beliefs openly and hope everyone left with their questions answered, because the members deserve it. Time will tell in the results, which will hopefully be revealed Saturday evening.

The time period since Sunday to now has been a wild ride for all of us and I am delighted to see all the Local blogs expressing the views of Presidents, members and a person named anonymous in the comments who has lots of time to write. We are always joking about which comments are from managers since we know they are reading.

When I started this blog process, and let others know what I was doing, I was hopeful it would be the way for Locals to be in contact over long distances. It ensures our division is faster to react and could potentially set the course for our division and for OPSEU leaders to be transparent and share information right away. Not every leader is doing it yet, but it should come.

As always, be careful of hype and think for yourself!

Some argue it may be detrimental to strategy and labour relations for the employer to read our views, but at least they are getting a better handle on how we have a brain of our own and aren't automatons. Many times we have solutions that they don't.

Perhaps the employer will also see what information isn't making its way to policy makers, such as how many casuals are looking for full time jobs at our Local and have worked forty hour weeks for more than three years.

In closing, I would like to reiterate to the Local, and the division at large, that we keep up the momentum no matter what the results. Above all else, if the contract is ratified, we have a lot of work ahead of us to protect our members.

In solidarity, Emidio.

EMERGENCY MEETINGS AND VOTE

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2009

BEST WESTERN

161 CHISHOLM DRIVE

MILTON, ONTARIO

1600-2100 HRS

DROP-IN FORMAT FOR QUESTIONS

VOTING DAY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH, 2009

MILTON MEMBERSHIP CENTRE

42 BRONTE STREET SOUTH, UNIT A10

0630-2000 HRS

In solidarity, Emidio.

Big thanks for the Friday Rallies

Good day, brothers and sisters!!
I wish to thank all the members from Local 234 and the Locals from Region 2 and The GTA jails for the various rallies we attended on Friday, February 27th, 2009.

The day started at Central Region Office at 0900 hrs to protest the suspensions of members and the show of solidarity throughout our locals.

We headed to Waterdown next to picket the office of Ted McMeekin, Liberal MPP, and the apparent controller of the purse strings.

Next we headed to Joyce Savoline's office, Tory MPP, to deliver seat cushions and ask her if she would like to do our cushy job.

Finally, we headed back to our local for an announcement of solidarity and a parade.

Once again thanks to everyone for braving rain, cold and wind for the show of support.

We showed how, as a division, we are...

In solidarity, Emidio.

Tentative Offer for Corrections

Great Day!!

Looks like we have a tentative deal.

Keep checking the OPSEU website for the details...will be updated with the details.

In solidarity, Emidio.