Grey County has reached an agreement with its unionized workers at Grey Gables long-term care home in Markdale, after a recent interest arbitration award concerning Lee Manor employees helped resolve a compensation dispute.
County council received a report at its meeting on Thursday by Grey County’s Director of Human Resources Jennifer Moreau concerning an arbitration award in bargaining with Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 299, which represents more than 200 employees at Lee Manor long-term care home in Owen Sound.
The collective agreement between Grey County and OPSEU Local 299 expired on Dec. 31, 2019.
Moreau’s report says some items were agreed upon during negotiations in late 2019 and early 2020 such as job posting and vacancy requirements, clarification of educational leaves of absence and streamlining hours of work.
However, the county and union were unable to settle on monetary issues.
Grey County’s proposal in negotiations was a 1.5 per cent annual wage increase, while OPSEU Local 299 was seeking 2.25 per cent.
OPSEU contacted the Ontario Labour Relations Board and a conciliator was scheduled to work with both parties towards an agreement.
The compensation dispute ended up being resolved in an arbitration hearing in March 2021.
Moreau’s report says the arbitration award provides annual 1.62 per cent wage increases for Lee Manor employees over the three-year term of the collective agreement, which ends in 2022.
The budget impact for Grey County over the three years works out to just over $538,000 in total.
Unionized workers at all three county-run long-term care homes will receive the same annual wage increases over the next three-year terms of their collective agreements.
The Board of Arbitration hearing report explains the 1.62 per cent annual increase awarded in the Lee Manor decision is identical to the hike the county agreed too with its workers represented by Unifor at Rockwood Terrace in Durham in a negotiated settlement reached for a three-year collective agreement ending in January 2023.
The interest arbitration award also helped settle negotiations between the county and workers at Grey Gables long-term care home in Markdale, represented by OPSEU Local 266.
At its meeting on Thursday, county council ratified a recently reached memorandum of settlement with OPSEU Local 266.
The collective agreement between Grey Gables workers and Grey County expired on Dec. 31, 2020.
Similar to the Lee Manor process, negotiations resulted in common ground on a number of issues but the parties were divided on compensation and went to conciliation.
The settlement reached between the county and OPSEU Local 266 includes a 1.62 per cent annual wage increase for Grey Gables employees, the same rate workers at Lee Manor and Rockwood Terrace are receiving.
The wage increase for Grey Gables employees will cost the county just over $229,000 combined over the three years of the agreement, which ends in 2023.
