CLRCS Statement on OPSEU Strike

Dear CLRCS Community,

We know that our employees, the people we support, families and our community want this strike to end. So do we.

Unfortunately, the majority of the developmental services (DS) agencies involved in OPSEU’s strike remain on strike. Contrary to what you may have heard, only a few of the DS agencies involved have reached settlements. Others remain at an impasse on OPSEU’s demands, including agencies that have met with private mediators like Gerry Lee. We believe part of the difficulty is that OPSEU’s corporate leadership continues to push an agenda that does not take into account local realities.

We believe our community deserves clear information about where negotiations actually stand.

At our most recent mediation session with OPSEU, the parties made significant progress. Unfortunately, the three main issues remain unresolved: wages, scheduling and the remaining SWIII positions.

Here is where the parties left those issues. 

1. Wages: The parties were close 

OPSEU’s last wage proposal sought increases totalling 11% over four years.

CLRCS proposed wage increases that also total 11% over the same period with the 1.5% increase already provided by CLRCS retroactive to April 1, 2024 included.

The remaining disagreement is whether that increase counts toward the wage settlement.

From CLRCS’s perspective, it must. It is an ongoing benefit to employees and cost to the organization. When it is included, CLRCS’s wage proposal is comparable to the resolutions achieved at other agencies involved in the sector-wide strike.

The parties are therefore much closer on wages than some public commentary may suggest.

2. Scheduling: We need a solution that is fair to employees and the people we support 

CLRCS notified OPSEU approximately two years ago that scheduling changes would be necessary to better meet the needs of the people we support. CLRCS has the right to make this change under the agreement. We are not asking for any concessions or changes to the collective agreement. We can’t wait to implement this change any longer.

The reason is straightforward: the people we support live their lives seven days a week. Many opportunities for community inclusion, recreation, visits with family and friends, shopping and other activities occur during evenings and weekends. People’s lives don’t stop at 4 p.m. 

CLRCS therefore needs a workforce that can and will support people when they need support. At the same time, we recognize the impact of this change on the small group (14 employees) who are not already working evenings and weekends. That is why CLRCS proposed a compromise at mediation: the 5 most senior affected employees would be protected from being required to work evenings and weekends.

OPSEU rejected that proposal.

3. SWIII positions: We offered protections for these staff 

CLRCS advised OPSEU two years ago that the remaining five SWIII positions were no longer required within our service model. OPSEU continues to insist we maintain these unnecessary positions.

At mediation, CLRCS proposed significant protections for the employees affected by this change. Under CLRCS’s proposal:

• the affected employees would move into SWII positions;

• they would continue to receive their existing SWIII wage rates; and

• the four most senior affected employees would retain their existing schedules.

OPSEU refused that proposal.

So why aren’t the parties back at the bargaining table?

CLRCS has asked OPSEU whether there has been any change in the Union’s position. If there is a change then mediation could be helpful to the parties. OPSEU didn’t answer that question.

As a result, there are no dates booked and the parties continue to be at an impasse.

CLRCS is not refusing to bargain. We are ready to bargain when OPSEU is ready to move on these issues.

Reasonable boundaries in a labour dispute 

We also need to acknowledge another difficult aspect of this strike.

We understand that emotions run high during a prolonged labour dispute, and we do not expect everyone to agree with the decisions we make.

But there should also be reasonable boundaries.

The people we support are not parties to this labour dispute. Their homes are their homes. They deserve the same dignity, privacy, safety and ability to enjoy their homes and neighbourhoods as anyone else. Continual targeting of the homes of the people we support does not demonstrate the respect that is at the core of our values at CLRCS.

We are similarly concerned about intensely personal public attacks on leadership. Most troublingly, those attacks have extended beyond criticism of decisions made in the workplace and into the private lives and homes of individual leaders. OPSEU’s president, JP Hornick, actually attended a rally in front of a private home and told workers to follow that leader wherever they go and even target their family members in the community. This goes well beyond what is reasonable. It is inciting harassment and intimidation. It has no place in our community. 

This is not about silencing criticism. It is about recognizing that disagreement—even strong disagreement—does not require making people’s private homes, families and neighbours part of a labour dispute.

We ask everyone involved in or commenting on this dispute to respect those boundaries.

We want our employees back to work 

We recognize the enormous toll this strike has taken on everyone involved in this strike. We also have a responsibility to make decisions that protect the long-term ability of CLRCS to provide quality services and, most importantly, meet the needs of the people we support.

A resolution requires compromise. CLRCS made significant movement at our last mediation session and remains prepared to look for solutions.

We sincerely hope that OPSEU is ready to move on their positions and we can forge a path back to productive discussions and, ultimately, an agreement that brings our employees back to work.

Until then, CLRCS will continue to provide essential supports, protect the interests of the people who rely on us, and keep our community informed with factual information about the status of negotiations.

Thank you for your patience and support,

Jennifer Lavallee, CAE®
Executive Director
Community Living Renfrew County South