Centralised collective bargaining occurs when employers in a sector get together and bargain with one or more unions representing the employees of those employers. Centralised collective bargaining can also occur at the level of a group of companies or at the national or regional level of a company.
How are central agreements negotiated?
The resulting central collective agreement addresses major contract language and the main monetary items like wa ges, vacation, benefits, etc. All OPSEU allied health professional bargaining units have the option to be part of the central bargaining process for each round of bargaining. If OPSEU members and the hospital agree to be part of central, then the centrally-elected teams bargain on behalf of those hospitals.
Why did ONA members not participate in the central process?
By not participating in the central process, ONA members lost these superior entitlements. As the representing union, ONA had no mechanism to protect them when going to arbitration in an attempt to achieve OPSEU’s higher central wages.
Where is OPSEU represented?
OPSEU has proudly represented allied health professionals at Lakeridge Health – and at Oshawa General Hospital before that – for nearly 50 years. During that time, the local and the hospital have always participated in the central bargaining process.
Which union represented the majority of nurses?
Different unions had the majority of unionized employees in these three groups; OPSEU represented the majority of allied health professionals, while ONA represented the majority of nurses, and CUPE and SEIU represented the majority of office/clerical/service employees. As a result, these unions gained central bargaining rights for each group.
What are the three main groups of employees in the hospital sector?
As a result of the 1974 recommendations of the Hospital Inquiry Commission in Ontario, central bargaining was established for the three main employee groups within the hospital sector; hospital (allied health) professionals, nurses, and office/clerical and service employees.
What are union local issues?
In addition to what is bargained centrally, each union local also bargains “local issues.” These are issues that are distinct and reflective of concerns at the local level; they might include scheduling language, mileage rates, multi-site issues, extended tours and flexible scheduling language.
Does ONA have to go to arbitration?
Unfortunately, this entitlement has been whittled down in subsequent arbitration settlements under ONA. ONA has sacrificed these entitlements; they’ve robbed Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. This is because in order to achieve OPSEU’s central wage rates for their allied members at Lakeridge, ONA has had to go to arbitration, allowing the employer to get this benefit reduced.
What is the difference between centralized and decentralized collective bargaining?
There are two structures of collective bargaining that are often implemented: centralized and decentralized. Centralized bargaining refers to agreements made at the group level involving many plants and is aimed to protect the working class in industry and at the national level , while decentralized bargaining occurs when agreements refer to just one plant. On the one hand, centralized bargaining is usually associated with lower and less persistent levels of unemployment, less wage dispersion and fewer strikes , whereas decentralized bargaining is associated with higher and more persistent levels of unemployment, more wage dispersion and
What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process that through negotiations establishes terms and conditions that are essential for employment. Collective bargaining facilitates coordination between unions and employers in wage setting and other aspects of industrial relations.
Is collective bargaining a free market?
Although collective bargaining has the general objective of supplementing or supplanting, the free market, it has not followed a uniform pattern of development in different national or industrial situations. Instead, a variety of institutional arrangements have evolved in implementing bargaining relationships between employers and employees organizations.1
