After 5 very difficult and challenging days at the Bargaining Table, the Union was unable to reach a new Collective Agreement with the Employer.  For the first time since the merger in 1998, CAMH and OPSEU Local 500 did not reach a collective agreement at the table, and will move to conciliation.

This morning, the employer rejected the Union’s very reasonable proposals on four outstanding issues and walked away from the Bargaining Table.

In addition, the impasse was definitely due to the plans of the employer to create the maximum amount of upheaval in our workplaces.

The employer’s proposals included; contracting out of support services beginning with environmental services, and the elimination of the Research Analyst II position and merging RA IIs into a new Research Analyst Classification.

The Employer was unwilling to include language about psychological wellness in the Collective Agreement.  The employer would not negotiate a fair wage, despite holding a significant surplus of over $3,000,000 and having received a 2% increase in funding from the Ministry of Health earlier this year.

Please read the attached document that your bargaining team was given on the first day of Bargaining.

In terms of next steps, there will be a General Membership Meeting held sometime in late November. The date will be shared with all of you, as soon as possible.

Your Bargaining team is ALWAYS committed to returning to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair and reasonable Collective Agreement.