PETERBOROUGH, ON – In March the workers at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) for Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge (HKPR) reached and ratified their first collective agreement between the agency and Local 5258 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Workers hoped that by agreeing to a very modest settlement that they could begin to address jointly with CMHA the long-standing workplace issues that prevent them from providing the best-quality mental health services for the region’s residents – issues like high staff turnover, unfair workplace policies, and precarious work.
But last week – little more than two months after the collective agreement was reached – the local branch of CMHA found it necessary to reduce its workforce by one position, ostensibly because the 1 per cent increase in workers’ salaries, agreed in March by the agency, made existing staffing levels at the agency unsustainable.
Remarkably, the sole employee affected in the layoff was Kirk Hillier, president of CUPE 5258. Kirk has worked for CMHA for more than four years as a Housing Maintenance Worker. He was a key player in the CUPE organizing drive at CMHA HKPR and has served since as the local’s first and only president.
Only CMHA’s directors and management know for certain why they chose this particular course of action. However, the measures they have taken have created an unprecedented atmosphere of intimidation and mistrust in the workplace.
It goes without saying that this is exactly the wrong type of working environment in which to deliver good mental health services to vulnerable people. Indeed, members fear that, by their actions, local CMHA management is endangering the quality of services to the agency’s clients.
However, CUPE and the members of Local 5258 are committed to seeing that justice and integrity prevail at CMHA and to ensuring the delivery of high-quality of mental health services.
To that end, CUPE has filed grievances with the employer and a claim of Unfair Labour Practice with the Ontario Labour Relations Board in an effort to obtain justice for Kirk and all members of CUPE 5258. At the local level, the local is planning to undertake a campaign of action and solidarity to restore fairness to the workplace at CMHA HKPR.
CUPE is confident of its position and will exercise all avenues to ensure that this situation is resolved fairly and in accordance with fair labour practices.
For more information, please contact:
Bev Newman
CUPE National Representative
705-743-0600
Mary Unan
CUPE Communications
647-390-9839
