OPSEU Local 720

Please check out the Historical Legacy of Juneteenth!

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth

If you were an employee of St. Joseph’s Care Group/Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital between 2003-2023 in any of these positions, you may qualify for a pay equity entitlement. Please reach out to me (Mark Halabecki, President) at [email protected] and I can let you know if you’re on the list. You may have received a letter already, but if you didn’t and you worked in one of these positions, reach out to me:
Community Support Assistant
Registered Practical Nurse
Switchboard/Console Attendant
Data Technician
Service Aide: Food Service Helper
Food Services Clerk
Receptionist/Clerical Support Clerk
Transcriptionist/Clerical Support Clerk
rTMS Technician
Rehabilitation Assistant

Pay Equity Meeting

Hi Everyone,

As there have been a lot of questions surrounding the pay equity process and payouts, I have arranged for our OPSEU/SEFPO Pay Equity Negotiator to join us via Zoom, to help answer them.

You can join via Zoom or come to the OPSEU Regional Office at 326 Memorial Avenue (next to Merla Mae) if you'd like to attend to ask questions. It will be next week, May 22 at 7pm.

Please share with staff who are no longer employed and may have questions.

Take care,
Mark

Mark Halabecki is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting on May 22 at 7pm.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84835125423?pwd=TjY2dlNXd1JtdW9MQXN5R0ZmNlM1QT09

Meeting ID: 848 3512 5423
Passcode: 067806
---
One tap mobile
+14388097799,,84835125423 #,,,,*067806 # Canada
+15873281099,,84835125423 #,,,,*067806 # Canada
---
Dial by your location
• +1 438 809 7799 Canada
• +1 587 328 1099 Canada
• +1 647 374 4685 Canada
• +1 647 558 0588 Canada
• +1 778 907 2071 Canada
• +1 780 666 0144 Canada
• +1 204 272 7920 Canada
• +1 507 473 4847 US
• +1 564 217 2000 US
• +1 646 931 3860 US
• +1 669 444 9171 US
• +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
• +1 689 278 1000 US
• +1 719 359 4580 US
• +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
• +1 253 205 0468 US
• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
• +1 305 224 1968 US
• +1 309 205 3325 US
• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
• +1 360 209 5623 US
• +1 386 347 5053 US

Meeting ID: 848 3512 5423
Passcode: 067806

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kuBx7mEP6

us02web.zoom.us

The world lost an amazing person.

Gina Pizzi Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information Share Memories of Gina & Support the Pizzi Family

Save the date: Ontario Health Coalition Protests

May 30 protest: The fightback is on to save public health care

The situation has never been more urgent. The Ford government is dismantling public non-profit health care, closing local public hospitals' emergency departments and other vital services. They are privatizing hospital care, long-term care, primary care and other services to for-profit corporations.

They are allowing for-profit clinics to charge patients hundreds -- or even thousands -- of dollars for needed medical care, in violation of our Public Medicare laws. Thousands of Ontarians are now being forced to pay out-of-pocket for access to health care.

Don’t let the Ford government destroy public health care. Save our public health care & restore it so we can be proud of it again.

Click here to register to get on a bus: https://forms.gle/nAjs3Azf3wrQ6UrC9

When: Thursday May 30 at 12 pm

Where: In Northern Ontario (N. Ontario locations where it is too far to travel in to the Ontario Legislature):

Sault Ste. Marie: Gather at 12 p.m. noon at Roberta Bondar Pavilion for protest and march. Contact Al Dupuis at the Algoma Health Coalition [email protected].

Thunder Bay: Gather at 12 p.m. noon at mini Queen’s Park. Contact Jules Tupker [email protected].

YES! I'm Coming to the May 30 Mass Protests to Stop the Ford Government's Privatization of Public Health Care: Sign-Up Form This form takes less than a minute to complete. When Thursday, May 30, 2024. All events are at noon except Cornwall. Where Toronto: Gather at noon at the south side of Nathan Phillips Square across from the Sheraton, 123 Queen St. W. We will march to the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park. There ...

For the Region 7 Delegates to convention, in conjunction with the Region 7 Equity Leadership, your Executive Board Members purchased Region 7 Equity T-shirts (with the new Region 7 equity logo) for all delegates attending this years convention. If you want a french version, please see Linda Kuizenga, as she has them. If there are extras, we will do something fun to give them away.
I will be in the Thunder Bay regional office from 6pm until 8:00pm eastern if you want to come and pick it up in advance.

SJCG OPSEU PAY EQUITY UPDATE

As I have been getting a lot of phone calls and emails, I will do my best to try to answer some questions as best as possible about pay equity.

1) Letters were sent out on March 6 by SJCG to current and former staff who will be receiving pay equity adjustments for any period between 2003-2023 for the following positions:
Community Support Assistant
Switchboard (Console Attendants)
Registered Practical Nurse
Receptionist
Service Aide: Food Service Helper
Transcriptionist
Rehab Assistant
Data Technician

2) If you did not receive a letter, that can mean a few things:
i) that your position was deemed to be compliant within pay equity standards during the years you worked and when compared to male positions, was being paid fairly and appropriately for the work being done
ii) that HR/Finance does not have your current mailing address

3) Not every position within OPSEU Paramedical, Office, Clerical, Service, and Nursing is receiving a payout. As much as it would be wonderful to receive another retro payout, only the positions listed above that were impacted during specific years were deemed to not be paid sufficiently. The rest of the positions were evaluated and deemed to be paid appropriately based on the levels of skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions involved in doing the work.

4) Here is a short explanation of the overall process: The OPSEU team rated, evaluated, and scored every position from 2003-2023 and so did the management team; then we negotiated the scores back and forth based on all information available (job descriptions, job surveys completed by staff and management, information from college/university programs, registration colleges, etc.). When we finally agreed, we then created a list and compared them to male jobs (which were also scored and negotiated) to determine each year if the OPSEU positions were being paid the same as the male jobs. It might not be a position that does the same work, but the overall score is the same, that is what matters in this process. Pay equity compared the value and pay of different jobs, such as RPN and steamfitter.

5) The payouts are happening on March 22, 2024, so if you've received a letter and your banking information is correct, you'll have a direct deposit on Friday. If you're a current employee, you can go into Virtuo and under "timesheets", you can see the breakdown of how the retro pay is being calculated.

6) No, I do not have a list of how much each person is receiving. I only have a list of who has been sent a letter as amounts are confidential.

7) (if this gets forwarded to staff who are no longer employees) If you worked one of the positions above and believe you should have received a letter, feel free to call HR and ask to update your contact information and banking information.

If anyone has any questions about the pay equity process or if they are receiving anything, please contact me, not HR or Finance (unless you need to update your information).

I hope this clarifies things rather than makes it more complicated.

Take care,
Mark Halabecki
President Local 720
[email protected]

For anyone wondering about pay equity. SJCG and OPSEU evaluated all jobs from 2003-2023 and SJCG will be sending out individualized letters to any person who will be receiving any retro payouts within the next week. The letter will outline the individual’s position, the period impacted, and that they will receive money before March 31. You’ll need to ensure your banking information and contact information is correct with HR and Finance at SJCG. If you have changed banking information or your address since you last received a payment from SJCG, please contact HR/Finance to update it.

If you do not receive a letter, that means that your job was evaluated as being compliant with pay equity and you will not be receiving any form of pay equity payment.

If you have any questions about the pay equity process, please reach out to me at [email protected].

In Solidarity,
Mark Halabecki
L720 President

For all those celebrating Ramadan, I’m wishing you compassion and devotion by day and nourishment and community by night. Happy Ramadan! May your good deeds be rewarded this Ramadan.

Big shout out to OPSEU Local 720 Thunder Bay!!!!
Good luck at the bargaining table and know, you have the strength of OPSEU / SEFPO Region 7, OPSEU SEFPO Mental Health & Addictions Division and all of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) behind you!!!!!
Ed Arvelin

Hello All,
The Thunder Bay and District Labour Council in conjunction with its labour partners and community allies is holding a International Womens Day march at 6pm, starting at the Thunder Bay office @ 326 Memorial and will be followiig up with speakers at 7:00pm eastern.
We will be going live on Zoom at 7:00pm and and all are welcome to join!!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4178363874?pwd=cnNhc1BWeXhYSFFrakgvc0Z2MVpnUT09
Meeting ID: 417 836 3874
Passcode: 750786

March and Celebration happening today!!
Come on by the Thunder Bay office and join in. All are welcome!

Good luck to all newly elected Equity Board Members that are running for the Equity Vice President!
Check out the Bio's below!!

Meet the 50+ candidates for the first board equity seats! equity seats equity seats candidates Indigenous Circle Coalition of Racialized Workers Disability Rights Caucus Provincial Francophone Committee Provincial Women’s Committee (PWC) Provincial Young Worker’s Committee (PYC) Rainbow Alliance Arc-en-ciel (RAA) Coalition of Racialized Workers Nicole ...

I would like to take a second and congratulate every person that put their name forward to run for 's Equity Board Seats 2024. It's tough to put your name out there but know that you were part of something special!!
I would also like to congratulate Tina Stevens, Nicole Anozie, Crystal Jardine-Garvey, Robert Hampsey, Kaylee Heath, Tracey Ann Halkyard and Dano Brisson. I look forward to working with you all at the Board!!!!
It was a long road and I am proud to have sat on the OPSEU SEFPO Equity Board Seats Adhoc committee with some pretty amazing people that helped make this happen.

Listening to pretty amazing people tonight who are running for the Provincial Disability Rights Equity Board seat.
Best of luck ti everyone that is running for Equtiy Board positions!!

Check out www.opseu.org/endthelockout to see how you can support our colleagues in the Northeast with being locked out by an absolutely ridiculous employer while their clients suffer without support.

End the lockout at CMHA Cochrane-Timiskaming Have your say: End the lockout! Picket locations Lockout of CHMA workers Puts lives at risk CMHA Cochrane-Timiskaming workers provide life-saving mental health and addictions support in our northern communities. But they’re losing ground in the struggle to support their own families. Instead of ba...

Mental health workers rally in Timmins Feb 16 Mental health workers held a rally Friday, Feb. 16 in front of Canadian Mental Health Association-Cochrane Temiskaming buildings on Cedar St. N and Second Av...

Thunder Bay and District Labour Council meeting is under way.
If you want to join in the conversation, here’s the link below. All are welcome to listen in.

TBDLC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: TBDLC General Membership Meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81414323666?pwd=R0JIWlhxeWU1T3lvRjJMbENvbVhwdz09
Meeting ID: 814 1432 3666
Passcode: 480183