THUNDER BAY – Clerical, administrative and technical staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will be in a legal strike position Aug. 16 after voting 97 per cent in favour of a walkout if contract negotiations fail.
“We are not here to negotiate a strike; we are here to negotiate an agreement that our members can accept,” said Tyler England, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team for members of Local 677 which represents more than 150 workers at campuses in Sudbury and Thunder Bay. NOSM also operates satellite campuses in Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie.
“The results of this vote sent a clear message to the employer that our members stand united behind their negotiating team,” said England.
Outstanding issues include overtime, workloads, job classification and sick leaves. The two sides are scheduled to meet next on Aug. 11.