The SPATEA bargaining team has attempted to reach a negotiated settlement with MDA Brampton over the past 5 months. We have been unable to reach an agreement with the company. The outstanding issue in the contract negotiations is total compensation with base salary being the largest area of disagreement. Salaries in our membership have been declining versus both market and inflation over the past 9 years. We are currently 5% to 10% below market levels and are working to prevent further declines and to reverse the recent trends.
We have not received an offer that will improve salary levels versus market. Proposals have been exchanged, but movement from both sides has been small.
The best offer received from the company is estimated to lower salaries (albeit at slower rates) over the life of the contract. The company disagrees with our analysis of their best offer, however we have not been presented with any compelling analysis from the company that shows how their offer meets our principal objective. The company’s best offer to date was rejected by 87% of the membership on the 21st of June and the association withdrew services at 11:00 AM on the 22nd of June.
The past collective agreement expired on the 31st of December, 2005. The association will continue efforts to reach a new collective agreement through negotiations with the company. We cannot comment on how long the withdrawal of services will last, we will work hard to broker an agreement with which our membership and the company can agree.
SPATEA Bargaining Committee
