bargaining2024@usw9511.ca or directly through a Bargaining Committee member. This page will be updated as more common questions come in, as well as if answers here need to be clarified or further explained.Where can I get information? I have been hearing a lot of rumours going around and I don’t know what is correct and what isn’t.
The Bargaining Committee sends out official information via text message and through postings on the union boards and on our website (www.usw9511.ca/bargaining-2024). To sign up for union text notifications, text the message usw9511 to the number 32323, and follow the automatic reply prompts to register. You can also send an email to bargaining2024@usw9511.ca which will be distributed to all members of the Bargaining Committee. Lastly, any other questions, bargaining or otherwise, can always be sent to ask@usw9511.ca. Messages will be responded to in a timely fashion.
Am I eligible to vote?
All members of Local 9511 are eligible to vote. This includes members on probation, as well as members on leave due to illness, injury, personal leave, or on lay off.
How will the vote be conducted?
Since our Local is spread all across the province, we conduct our contract ratification votes using mail-in ballots so everyone has the same opportunity to vote. Packages will be mailed to each member’s home address, and will contain a summary of information on the contract (full details available at www.usw9511.ca/bargaining -2024), a ballot, and a postage-paid, pre-addressed return envelope. Members are asked to complete the ballot, put it inside the small plain envelope, then put the small envelope in the return envelope, and mail it back so that it is received before the deadline of April 15, 2024.
Why is the mail-in ballot process so complicated?
The mail-in ballot process protects the anonymity of each voter. While the return envelope has the name of the member, the plain envelope inside contains the ballot. The return envelope is used to verify the vote is from a member, then the plain envelope containing the ballot is separated from the return envelope. The plain envelopes are not opened until after all of the return envelopes have been verified and opened. The plain envelopes are then opened all at the same time before the ballots are counted.
What if I remove my information from the outside of the return envelope?
If your return envelope cannot be attributed to a particular member, the envelope will not be opened and the ballot will not be counted.
When does my ballot need to be returned by?
Ballots must be received at the Hamilton Steelworkers’ Office on or before Monday, April 15, 2024 to be counted on April 16, 2024. We choose the deadline of a Monday to allow for an additional weekend for the mail to be processed. Most locations in Ontario have service delivery guidelines of 3 days or less to deliver letter mail, but the sooner you decide and send your ballot back, the better.
How many votes does it take to accept (ratify) or reject the tentative agreement?
Of the votes submitted, the threshold is greater than 50%. If there are 1002 ballots returned, then either option would need 502 to determine the result. If 101 ballots come back, the result would be the option with 51 votes.
What if I don’t submit a vote?
You have the choice not to participate, however, this means that others will be deciding your future for you. The fewer number of votes that come back means the votes that do come back have more impact. If only one person votes, that person’s choice would stand for all 1001 others. Everyone should be voting so their voice is heard.
Why is the choice to “Accept the Tentative Agreement” or to strike? Why don’t we just go back to the bargaining table instead of going on strike?
The Bargaining Committee has already negotiated for 20 days and has reached the best possible deal without a strike. By the time a ratification vote can be processed, the vote will happen after the expiry of the collective agreement. If members want more, they are going to have to vote to go on strike to demand it.
Can we continue negotiations and work without a contract in place?
Without a strike mandate from the members, there is no reason for Serco to re-evaluate their offer. It is also a possibility that items that are currently agreed to may be revoked or changed in the course of further negotiations in the pursuit of additional gains.
Is this tentative agreement being recommended to the members by the Bargaining Committee?
Yes. This tentative agreement was hard-fought by the Bargaining Committee, and represents significant improvements for members overall.
Why is the collective agreement for four (4) years this time? Don’t we usually do three-year contracts?
The collective agreement this time around is also affected by the status of the Project Agreement with MTO. Just like the last collective agreement was shortened (18 months) to be consistent with Serco’s previous contract with MTO, this one needed to bridge to 2028 to cover the revised contract bidding process for the next long-term Driving Examination Services contract.
I think wages should have been higher. Why are they those percentages?
First off, these eventually agreed on percentages are not where either party started at. The Bargaining Committee wanted more, and Serco wanted less. After reviewing inflation data from Stats Canada and other sources since 2019 (Consumer Price Index, etc), the Bargaining Committee fought for numbers that are expected to be higher than inflation projections over the next four years. This provides some insurance if projections are wrong, and would provide an increase if projections are correct or better than actual rates in the future.
Second, these numbers are not in isolation. Other increases (benefit amounts, training, premiums, RRSP matching for more PT employees, etc) are also part of our total compensation.
Third, Serco was seeking some concessions that would have cost members money. The Bargaining Committee rejected these concessions. Higher increases paired with increased costs for members is not an option for us.
Lastly, combined with the most recent collective agreement, members have seen a 12% increase since October 2022 (5% in October, 2% in July 2023, 5% in April 2024). 12% in 18 months is a significant increase, especially now that inflation has been falling and we’re returning to a traditional economic situation.
Why is Equalization of Hours For Part Timers being removed?
Equalization is not being removed. It is being modified so that hours are not exactly the same for all PT employees in a DTC, and are distributed within a tier of hours for everyone while accounting for Seniority. This is to address concerns that brand new employees get the same number of hours as employees who have been here for a long time, but still keep hours similar so newer employees are not left out.
How will this “Tiered Equalization” work?
Every week, the hours available to PT employees will be divided by the number of PT employees to determine which scheduling tier will be used for that week. Once the tier is determined, everyone is given the base hours for that tier. If there are more hours available, those hours are given to the most senior person until they reach the top of that particular scheduling tier. If there are still more hours, they are given to the next most senior person in the same fashion. This continues until all the hours have been distributed. The best analogy we have come up with is pouring drinks for a group of people from a pitcher. Everyone gets some to start with, then the rest is distributed by seniority until the jug is empty.
What are the scheduling tiers?
The tiers are 20-25, 25-30, and 30-37.5 hours. If the average hours available is 22.7, then every PT employee in that classification would be scheduled in the 20-25 tier. The people with the most seniority may have 25, while the person with the least seniority may have 20, depending on how many hours are actually available.
Which tier would I fall into with my seniority?
The tier is not dependent on anyone’s seniority. The tier is determined by the number of employees and hours being scheduled for the DTC that week. Seniority comes into play when it comes to dividing up the hours within the tier, as people with the most seniority will see their hours increase first.
Can you give an example of how this works?
Yes. Take a fictional office with 5 PT CSAs. Once labour forecasting is done by Serco, it is determined there is a need for 112 PT CSA hours to be scheduled. 112 hours divided by 5 PT CSAs equals 22.4 hours per person. This would mean the scheduling tier to be used is the 20-25 hours tier. Everyone is then budgeted 20 hours each (the tier minimum), totalling 100 hours (5 x 20). There are still 12 hours to be accounted for. The most senior person is then filled to the top of the tier (25 hours), leaving 7 more hours to be accounted for. The next most senior person is given 5 hours to fill them to the top of the tier, then on to the next person. In this example, the two most senior people will get 25 hours, the 3rd most senior 22, and the two least senior would get 20, for a total of 112 hours.
Can people be scheduled in different tiers? Can I be scheduled 30 hours when someone else is only getting 20?
No. The tiers are there to maintain a level of equalization for scheduling. Everyone of the same classification and level would be in the same tier as their coworkers in any given week.
What happens if there aren't enough hours for everyone to get 20 hours scheduled?
This would be the situation that a lay off would be happening. We do not want our members to have their hours cut way down (under 20 hours per week) before being laid off, which could reduce their EI benefit amount.
Why does the agreement divide people into “senior” and “junior” groups?
It doesn’t. The terms “senior” and “junior” are common union terms to describe the relative seniority relationship between two members. It’s just shorter than saying “the person with more seniority” or “the person with less seniority.” You are senior to anyone below you on the seniority list, and junior to anyone above you. This is different from some workplaces that actually have titles that include Sr or Jr, and differentiate between roles/responsibilities/etc (e.g. Senior Web Developer & Junior Web Developer). There is no desire, nor intend to split any classifications into separate Sr/Jr classifications.
What are “Right Size” DTCs?
In 2020, Serco and MTO made adjustments to the service hours of some DTCs, reducing them either part of the year, or in some cases for the entire year. Full-time employees in these DTCs were no longer getting 37.5 (or 36.25) hours on a regular and recurring basis. We have been fighting to get more work for these individuals, as Serco has work that can be done remotely or at alternate DTC locations.
If you are sent home early, do you get paid for 50% of the time your shift is being shortened by?
No. This applies to shifts that are changed ahead of time with less than 48 hours notice. Shifts that are adjusted once the shift has started (weather, unexpectedly low customer volumes, etc) will still be governed by the minimum reporting pay provisions, and must be reduced in accordance with the seniority provisions of the collective agreement (volunteers first, reverse seniority in the event there are insufficient volunteers).
What constitutes an “off-site” location to qualify for the DE stipend to compensate for use of personal vehicles for breaks, etc?
These sites must be off of the property of the DriveTest Centre, and not have facilities for DEs to take their breaks and/or eat their lunch, etc. The stipend is to account for fuel, etc used to heat/cool the member’s vehicle for breaks/lunches, since there is no mileage accumulated while running the vehicle in the parking lot.
Why are rehires only going to be getting their previous wages and not their previous seniority?
Getting out of the cashier line at Home Depot doesn’t change if someone is an electrician or not, but they don’t get their spot in line back when they come back to the cashier. Our wages are based on experience and training, not seniority, so losing seniority doesn’t impact your ability to perform the job, but leaving the job doesn’t allow you to keep all the benefits of never leaving in the first place.
Why is Serco going to assign vacation days if people have too many? Is this even allowed?
Yes, in Ontario your employer can schedule your vacation for you. Many manufacturing workplaces have shut-down periods where everyone is on vacation at the same time. Serco is only going to be scheduling vacation days when employees have an excessive amount of days that have not been used/scheduled (more than the five that are permitted to be carried over each year), and this is after the employee has had more than nine months to use/schedule the days. Serco wants employees to be using their earned vacation as it’s important for our wellbeing.
Why are we getting rid of paper booklet copies of the collective agreement?
CBA booklets are slowly being phased out. Many people keep the PDF copy of the agreement on their phones, and for the last couple bargaining rounds, many printed copies have gone to waste. Existing members who still would like a printed copy will have an opportunity following ratification to indicate their preference and receive a booklet copy. Each DTC will have a printed copy available for reference.
What is the pilot project for alternative work weeks going to look like? Who will this apply to?
We have had many members over the years suggest different working schedules (4 x 9.5 hours, 3 x 12 hours, 4 x 8.5 + 1 x 3.5, etc). It would primarily be looking at longer shifts with the intent of reducing the number of working days (or increasing the continuous time away from work - 2.5 day weekend, etc). This could apply to both DEs and CSAs in offices with longer working days (7-7), and longer shifts would potentially be available to FT and PT employees. Further discussion on the exact items to be tested is still needed, but we have a commitment and timeline to explore options.
Can we have an electronic meeting of some sort to discuss these things?
Yes. We are working out the logistics and timing of how we may accommodate up to 1002 members on Zoom sessions. We will likely need to create multiple sessions and host them over a week. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.
Why wasn’t there an increase in Sick Days?
There was significant discussion regarding additional sick days. Serco has no interest in increasing sick days. We had proposed quite a few different ways to go about it (same banked maximum, but you could replenish used ones faster, etc). Serco does not like these, as some members have taken advantage of these in the past as "vacation days they don't have to schedule in advance." The only increase we were able to secure was to increase the proportion of sick days for eligible PT employees (average of 25-30 hours weekly, evaluated annually) to be more in line proportionally to the hours those PT employees work related to FT hours.