Ontario Public Service deal is bad news

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10 SOCIALIST ACTION NOVEMBER 2015 President, OPSEU Local 532 On Oct. 29, Ontario Public Service (OPS) workers voted to ratify a tentative collec­ tive agreement. The majority of those who cast a ballot supported the deal (Central agreement 67%; Unified 78%). But a sub­ stantial number rejected the concession­ ary deal—more than said “no” to the pre­ vious one. Labour militants now face the task of organizing at the grassroots level to build an effective fight against future cuts and concessions. The following article was written just prior to the vote.

Ontario government workers, over io Public Service Employees’ Union, are being asked to ratify a three-year (2015 to 2017) concessionary tentative agree­ ment. Many of the major rollbacks sought by management, such as a 12-step wage grid with a 5% pay reduction at the bot­ tom step, were fought off. But workers are now asked to ratify a deal filled with concessions that would continue the downward spiral of wages. It reflects the ... Chrysler pact (continued from page 9: “Labor Briefing”)

sweatshops to what became for a time the most rewarding jobs in manufacturing.

As we again see revealed in the Chrysler bargaining, the polar opposite class-collabo­ rationist perspective of the ruling Administra­ tion Caucus has instead undermined the most basic solidarity even within the ranks of the UAW. They betray not only the union’s proud heritage but also present dues-payers. Wheth­ er their personal intentions are good or bad, they have paved the road to industrial purga­ tory.

It will take more than prayers of others to escape to a better destination. It begins with the UAW ranks’ asserting democratic control of their union. And in all industries, it will re­ quire the broader working-class majority to reclaim our stolen class identity and revive class-struggle strategy and tactics on the job, in the community, and in the political arena. n “Net Zero” budgetary stance of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal Party.

Numerous locals, particularly in the Toronto region, made it a point to fight for a non-concessionary agreement at the demand-set in 2014. Several tiny gains won could have been negotiated in any round of bargaining. They are not a break-through.

Since bargaining began, large portions of the membership have been mobilized in an unprecedented way. Membership and unit meetings, coffee break gath­ erings, a bigger union presence in the workplace, pickets at Liberal Party fund­ raisers, have all contributed to the build­ ing of local capacity.

A very strong strike vote (Central: 90%, Corrections: 96%, and Unified: 88%) oc­ curred early in negotiations, in the face of drastic cuts. Members now deserve a better result.

The tentative agreement includes cuts to wages, a two-year wage freeze (on top of the two years suffered due to the previ­ ous collective agreement). The employer is completing the elimination of termina­ tion pay by disallowing the accumulation ... LABOR (continued from page 9: “Labor Briefing”) • Last December, a lame-duck Congress, scrambling to avoid another government shutdown, passed a huge omnibus appro­ priations bill, which included the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pen­ sion Reform Act of 2014. Many such funds, which collectively cov­ er about 10 million workers, are in trouble. Rather than requiring employers to put more money in to keep their promises, the new law facilitates reneging on their obliga­ tions if they convince the Treasury Department it’s necessary to stay solvent.

While there are still some pro­ cedural formalities, the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund is confident that the Treasury—who saved so many banks “too big to after Dec. 31, 2016. There is language anticipating the future privatization of public services and provisions, which would allow the employer to expand its use of “flexible” part-time employees, as opposed to full-time employees.

One of the most regressive attacks is on the 2700 members on Long Term In­ come Protection (LTIP). In the latest ar­ rangement, once LTIP is received, the insurance carrier can force members into work plans or “forced rehab,” even if contrary to a doctor’s orders. If members don’t comply, they lose their benefits.

The employers began negotiations by attempting to bury public-sector work­ ers in an avalanche of major rollbacks, to generate enough pressure to ensure that they could steal some portion of wages and benefits. Members reacted in a strong way, and took a clear position for a non-concessionary deal.

The decision to fight back was made in the wake of recent concessionary agree­ ments. Some workers believed we had to “do our part” towards recovery from the economic recession of 2008. Members are increasingly asked to do the work of fail”—will approve massive slash­ ing of pension checks. The first of these are expected to hit 115,500 of 400,000 retired Teamsters truck drivers and inside workers start­ ing next July—with cuts of as much as 50 percent, a number that could only grow with time.

On Oct. 10 dozens of retired and working Teamsters protested out­ side the Local 41 hall in Kansas City. Teamsters for a Democratic Union strongly objects to this at­ tack and supports alternative legislation. The TDU slate in next year’s election of national Team­ sters officers will make pensions a major issue as they work to oust the Hoffa regime, which over the past 17 years did little to protect retirees.

• Occasionally, employers file un­ fair labor practice charges against unions, but the United Electrical, two or more employees. We are under­ staffed and underpaid. The employer has thanked us for our hard work by unilat­ erally imposing a 50% premium on postretirement benefits, and doubling the eligibility period from 10 to 20 years of service.

The cost of living continues to rise. The 1.4% increase does not nearly match the rate of inflation (cost of living). If you are on the grid anywhere but at the top, you suffer. If you are planning a change in ca­ reer, you suffer. If you are converting to full-time or just started your career, you really suffer.

The employer continues to use divideand-rule tactics. Now is the time to stand up, to protect all workers in the OPS, even those yet to be hired. After all, it’s the new workers who will be our future, and the future of the services on which the public relies. Now is the time to organize rank-and-file groups in every union local to defeat this bad deal, to replace union officials who urge us to accept it, and to advance a Workers’ Agenda to change the direction of our union and society as a whole. Act together now, organize now, or face a steeper climb tomorrow.

Vote NO to the Unified and Central ten­ tative agreements! n Radio & Machine Workers (UE) are under a unique attack by an Israe­ li-based Zionist outfit. The Israel Law Center, which claims to be a civil rights group and a defender of terror victims, is harassing UE be­ cause their recent convention vot­ ed to support the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions campaign against Israeli repression of Palestinians.

BDS has broad labor support in Europe and Canada but UE is the first national union in the USA to sign on. With a straight face, the U.S. and Israeli shysters claim that UE’s solidarity violated Taft-Hart­ ley Act prohibitions against sec­ ondary boycotts. They also urge General Electric to “avoid labor accords” with UE—which has a na­ tional GE contract. n If you have labor-related news you’d like to share in this column contact billonasch@kclabor org.

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UNAC: U.S. out of Syria! This statement was issued by the United National Antiwar Co­ alition’s Administrative Committee.