Workers at Ontario Teachers

85% strike vote by members of OPSEU Local 598

Toronto (16 Jan. 2006) – Staff employees at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan have given their bargaining team an 85% strike vote in a bid to win a better collective agreement.

The workers, who are members of Local 598 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE), are seeking improvements in wages, benefits, vacation and hours of work.

“Our employer had a $10 billion return on investment last year, and the total cost of administering the plan is barely 1% of that,” says OPSEU negotiator Brock Suddaby. “There is no reason why the people who make the plan work cannot make reasonable progress on the issues that matter to them.”

Turnout for the strike vote, held Jan. 12, was 86% of the bargaining unit. The union is applying for conciliation and hopes to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible.
NUPGE