OPSEU 464 UPDATE – SPRING 2017 EDITION
THE ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL
http://opseu464.org/
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
RA Centre, Clark Room
Registration starts at 16:30
Dinner served at 17:00
Meeting starts at 17:30
Agenda



Bargaining update Report of Executive Officers
Elections of Local Executives and Stewards
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CELEBRATING ONE OF OUR OWN!
Christine Graves Wins Gil’s Hootenanny 2017 Song writing Contest
Christine Graves is an Occupational Therapist who works at TOH. She is an accomplished singer, song
writer and performer.
Gil’s Hootenanny is delighted to announce that Christine Graves has won the 2017 “Songs of Hope and
Protest” Sing-Along Songwriting Contest for her inspirational song “Rise Above”.
“Christine’s winning song focuses on the importance of pulling together to overcome adversity. She
weaves together a musical message of community, commitment and hope that everyone can easily sing
in solidarity and harmony. She will be performing her song Monday evening, May 1, 2017 at Gil’s
Hootenanny, which will be held at the RA Centre (Clarke Room), 2451 Riverside Drive, starting at
7:30pm”. $10 per person (kids are free)
http://gilshootenanny.ca/events/2017-gils-hootenanny/
GET TO KNOW YOUR COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
CHIEF STEWARD – LOCAL 464: LINDA O’REGAN
The Chief Steward acts as a resource for area stewards and the
members at large to help navigate the Collective Agreement (CA).
Don’t rely on your manager or other employees to interpret the
language in the CA. Keep in mind that the ONA, CUPE and OPSEU
contracts all have different language and that the Local 464 CA differs
from the OPSEU central CA. You can find our contract on the local
website or via the union portal through My Hospital.
Linda can be reached at 613-739-4334 ext 1
http://opseu464.org/collective-agreement/
Emergency Leave (article 15.07) Did you know that our members can be granted access to their banked
credits to pay for such unpaid time?
Vacation Carryover (article 20.03f) By mutual consent, our members may carry over to the next year
not more than one (1) week of vacation credits (37.5 hours) The vacation year is April 1-March 31st.
For those people who take all of their vacation by year end, don’t fear if you want to use vacation time
in April or May!! This should be a win-win for everyone (taking vacation during off peak periods).
Did you know that you can go into a negative vacation balance? As long as you keep in mind that you
cannot take more vacation than you are expected to earn by the year end (i.e., by March 31st) you can
request vacation at any point in the year.
Work Schedules (17.06m) Did you know you should have a posted work schedule in your area? If can’t
find yours, please request one from your manager. Work schedules are posted 4 weeks in advance and
should have a fixed start and end date.
Equitability (17.06) Extra shifts (that are not regularly scheduled) should be distributed equitably
amongst casual and part time staff who have declared their availability in writing. Overtime hours are
also to be distributed on an equitable basis. Shifts are offered to the staff who have the lowest
scheduled hours, not including their full-time equivalency (FTE). See more on this in article 17.06(o)
Keep in mind that the shifts are distributed equitably based on the entire posted schedule.
Job descriptions – Some OPSEU job descriptions have not been available since 2006. The outstanding
job descriptions are being updated by the Management. Some staff who work in these positions may be
asked for their input. From there, the jobs are reviewed by the Joint Job Evaluation Committee (JJEC)
hospital and union committee to review the content and any changes. Only those jobs which have
substantially changed may be re-evaluated by the JJEC.
BARGAINING UPDATE
We are still in bargaining and are hopeful that we be able to achieve a negotiated settlement. We will
provide a more specific update when we are able.
RECRUITING STEWARDS – PLEASE CONTACT THE LOCAL 464
OFFICE
We are actively recruiting stewards at all campuses. If your area has more than 50 OPSEU employees,
we are entitled to have 2 stewards. Please call 613-739-4334 for more information.
YOUR LOCAL EXECUTIVE MEMBERS (2015-2017)
Contact information is available on our website: http://opseu464.org/
President: Mike Donaldson (on leave) Jordan Elliott (acting)
Chief Steward: Linda O’Regan (Respiratory Therapist)
VP General: Richard Forget (Bio Medical Engineering Technologist)
VP Civic: Jordan Elliott (MRI Technologist)
VP Riverside: Lisa Hadley (Occupational Therapist)
VP TRC: Una Wallace (Rehabilitation Therapist)
Treasurer: Vanessa Lawlor (Respiratory Therapist)
Return to Work / Health & Safety: Heather Allen (Social Worker)
Secretary: VACANT
Local 464 Office - 2255 St. Laurent Blvd, Suite 310, Ottawa, ON, K1G 4K3
WHERE DO WE FIT IN OPSEU?
OPSEU Local 464 represents the unionized Allied Health Professionals of The Ottawa Hospital. Our
members work in over seventy professional occupations. It is the largest local in the Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and has a growing membership of over 1800 employees. However,
we are part of a much bigger group…
OPSEU as a larger organization represents approximately 130,000 members across Ontario. They are
full- and part-time workers, men and women, young and old. Our members work for the Ontario
government, inside community colleges, for the LCBO, in the health care sector and are employed in a
wide range of community agencies.
OPSEU CURRENT CAMPAIGNS
“We Own It” Campaign. The public sector: we built it, we paid for it, we own it! “We own it” is a
grassroots campaign to help protect our communities from privatization.
One of the best ways you can help is to get the word out about the value of keeping public services
public. By sharing this message with your friends, families, and followers, you can make a real
difference! Go to www.weownit.ca for more information.
Ontario needs the LCBO. The profits from LCBO sales help pay for teachers in Cornwall, MRIs in
Timmins, highways in Simcoe County, hospitals in Thunder Bay, child care spaces in Toronto, Western
University in London, and more. If we give up those profits, we have two options – either pay more in
taxes, or cut important public services.
The LCBO is an important asset for Ontario. In 2016, the LCBO provided $2.4 billion to the provincial
government to pay for public services. This included more than $1.9 billion in profit, and more than
$450 million in provincial taxes.
Each year, people who shop at the LCBO provide enough money to the province to pay for more than
13,300 kilometers of highway resurfacing. By the end of February, for example, LCBO shoppers have
already contributed enough to the province to cover the cost of a year of home care for more than
113,000 seniors.
Why would we give that up? It’s not too late to help. Go to https://opseu.org/act-mow