Ontario DriveTest workers ratify tentative agreement

USW Local 9511 DriveTest
New Release

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TORONTO - The tentative agreement reached on Friday, December 18, 2009 between United Steelworkers Local 9511 and Serco DES Inc. has been ratified by the membership of USW Local 9511.

The recap is as follows:

On December 24, 2009, the USW Local 9511 bargaining committee convened in a general assembly in Toronto with the following agenda:

- Overview of the bargaining process.

- Highlights of the tentative collective agreement.

- Highlights of the back to work protocol.

- Question and answer.

- Voting procedures/ process.

- Voting on tentative ratification and on Article 15.14 (seniority pool).

- Meeting adjourned.

The members who were unable to vote in Toronto had the opportunity to vote at any one of 48 locations throughout the province on December 24, 29, and 30, based on our ratification voting schedule.

On December 31 at the USW district office, the bargaining committee and nine volunteer members of USW Local 9511 collected and tallied the tentative ratification ballots.

The results are as follows:

Part A, tentative ratification

72.3 percent voted in favour of the tentative agreement, 27.7 percent voted against the tentative agreement, three spoiled ballots.

The membership has voted to accept the tentative ratification agreement.

Part B, seniority pool

56.5 percent voted in favour to remain status quo on the six seniority pools, 43.5 percent voted in favour to accept four seniority pools, 12 spoiled ballots.

The membership has voted to remain status quo on the six seniority pools.

"After one strike mandate vote to support our bargaining committee, two employer's final offer votes, which the members rejected overwhelmingly, and one tentative ratification vote, our strike has finally concluded. The bargaining committee believes with open dialogue, that our new/ revised collective agreement may be a good working agreement with both parties, and a base for future negotiations,” said Jim Young.

All members of USW Local 9511 are to report to work at their perspective working DriveTest Centres at 8:30 a.m., on January 4, 2010, providing that there was no prior notification stating otherwise.

As per part three of the return to work protocol:

All employees should report to their home DEC by January 4, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. in proper uniform.

Employees who have a satisfactory reason for not returning to work and who provide written or other appropriate notice to the Employer shall be given a maximum of ten calendar days in which to return to work.

All team captains, and picketers, please make every arrangement for the clean up of all picket lines as soon as possible as per part nine of our return to work protocol.

The union also acknowledges that it will clean up all picket lines of any and all debris caused by or as a result of the picketing during the strike.

Approximately 590 members of Local 9511 have been on strike for 19 weeks at DriveTest locations across Ontario.

DriveTest, a subsidiary of British-based multinational Serco Group PLC, has been responsible for driver testing services in Ontario since 2003, when the public service was privatized by the former Conservative Government.

“I am proud of our members for fighting the good fight, and for standing up to this giant corporation until it was willing to negotiate a fair deal with its employees,” said Wayne Fraser, the USW’s district 6 director.

“Our members are anxious to get back to work and provide the quality services that Ontarians deserve and rightfully expect,” Fraser said.

Local President Jim Young said: “It took a 19-week long strike in order to achieve a fair deal that the Membership was willing to accept. It has been a long, arduous journey for our membership of USW Local 9511. Bargaining for more than a year, we have overcome several obstacles and prevailed over the many challenges we faced. We have proven to this employer that the employees of Serco DES are willing to stand strong and united for a fair and equitable collective agreement.”

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