TORONTO – With an overwhelming 93 per cent strike mandate from members who belong to the OMERS pension plan, CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan says it is now up to Premier Dalton McGuinty to prevent a strike.
“We have been talking to members of the government. We are ready to continue talking,” Ryan said. “The only thing that will trigger a strike will be a decision by the government to introduce Bill 206 for third reading in its current form.”
CUPE members have been trying for more than a decade to negotiate a new model for jointly governing the pension plan with employers in the municipal, school board and children’s aid society sectors. Instead, Bill 206 imposes a structure that is unfair and discriminatory, Ryan said. CUPE represents about 45% of active plan members.
The union is asking the government to stop the bill and create a table where employer, employee and retiree representatives can negotiate a new governance structure.
“The Premier has my phone number. I am ready to talk at any time about how we can avert both this recipe for pension disaster and the possibility of strike action by my members,” Ryan said.
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For more information, contact:
Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario, 416-209-0066 (cell)
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications, 416-616-6142 (cell); 416-299-9739 ext 264