On behalf of the Joint Job Evaluation Committee and Steering Committee we are pleased to announce that we have reached a negotiated settlement on Pay Equity. The objective of the exercise was to develop a new job evaluation system for bargaining unit jobs, evaluate jobs on this new system and to update our Pay Equity Plan dating back to the amalgamation on April 1, 2013. The results are also used to structure a compensation system.

The Parties (OPSEU and CMHA WW) developed a Gender Neutral Comparison System (GNCS) to evaluate all bargaining unit jobs in the organization. The Job Evaluation Plan consists of 13 factors, and is considered a point-factor job evaluation system. It incorporates skill, effort, responsibilities of the job and the working conditions under which the job is normally performed.

Positions were placed within a certain range of points based on job evaluation point scores. These ranges serve to establish bands, which then led to the resultant pay range. As a result, there are several distinct jobs within each pay range, each with different functions, but with similar overall scores based on the GNCS evaluation results. The evaluation factors ensure our compliance with Pay Equity legislation while the weighting given to each, in the evaluation process, ensures that we recognize the unique nature of each position and its demands relative to other positions.

Adjustments will be implemented where required (the Pay Equity Plan will be posted on the Pay Equity Committee SharePoint page). In addition, because of the results of the Pay Equity Job Evaluation process our salary structure has been updated based on the agreement reached between the parties. The new salary structure is effective April 1, 2019. Those who are specifically impacted by the results of the negotiated settlement will receive individual communication over the coming days.

Please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Bumbaco at extension 2116, Heather Eddy at extension 2109 or Julie Chambo at extension 2309 (cell: 519.827.5199) if you have any questions.

Sarah Bumbaco
Julie Chambo
Heather Eddy
Susan Kilpatrick
Keehan Koorn

Your bargaining team is sitting with the Employer for the first two days of negotiations of our new Collective Agreement tomorrow and Tuesday.  We need you to wear BLUE to show your support!

Take a picture of you and your coworkers in blue on Monday and on Tuesday and send it to bargaining@opseulocal291.com.  We'll post it on our website and social media to encourage the bargaining team and show our unity.  PLUS - you could win a Local 291 T-shirt!

Contest:
For each bargaining day that a member appears in a photo and is wearing blue, they will be entered into a draw for a free shirt.  When sending photos, please identify each member in the picture so they can be entered to win (one entry per member per bargaining day).  Submission of photos gives OPSEU Local 291 permission (from all within the picture) to post the photo to the OPSEU Local 291 website and social media accounts. 

So get everyone together in blue and say SOLIDARITY!  If you're not working on a bargaining day, take a pic from home and send it in.  We need each one of you!  And you'd look GREAT in a new T-shirt.