VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

’d like to start this article by welcoming our new recruits. You ARE our future. By the time this article is released, we will have had the pleasure of welcoming the July 2022 class and the January 2023 class. The two classes will total 180 to 200 additional recruits. This is very exciting news.

As we head into 2023, it’s a staggering thought to believe we are once again in the bargaining mindset.

I have had the distinct pleasure of sitting on the bargaining committee during many bargaining sessions and arbitrations. I’ve bargained through the Burkett arbitration, the Haze arbitration, and our most recent freely negotiated five-year contract, which will expire December 31, 2023. We are proud as an Association to say that the freely negotiated contract was approved by 99 percent of the membership and went down in history as the very first freely negotiated contract agreed to between the Association and the City of Toronto. Freely negotiated means that the contract was bargained without the need for the arbitration process. We successfully came to terms with the City of Toronto before the existing contract expired. This was unprecedented. Historically, our contracts have expired, resulting in an arbitration process.

Our Association has always put in place, a strong, aggressive, and viable bargaining committee. We are known as the gold standard by other provincial fire services within the province. Our collective agreements are consistently used as a comparable for other fire services. As an example, we established the 24-hour shift, which, as many are aware, other fire services have adopted.

I’d like to provide some insight into the history of bargaining, along with the importance of membership engagement. For those who are not aware of the bargaining process, I will be using this platform to educate our members on the importance of membership submissions.

In the months following the new year, a union notice will be issued to the membership, calling for members’ submissions for the 2024 bargaining agenda. But what does this actually mean? Below are a few standard questions:

Q: What is the importance of a submission?

A: It means that this is your collective agreement. Any improvements are based on your ideas and what you would like in your next collective agreement. As a quick example, submissions may include improvements to your benefits, wage increases, vacation and so on.

Q: What happens after I submit my submissions?

A: Once you have completed your submissions, they will be sent to the bargaining committee. The bargaining committee will then review each and every submission, organize the submissions based on which article they pertain to within the collective agreement, and then decide what will be brought to the bargaining table to be bargained.

Q: What happens if I don’t send in a submission?

A: The members must be aware that they are not to assume items will be brought forward to the bargaining table. Your voice is important. Everyone should be fully engaged in the process and submit your own proposals to ensure your items are brought forward.

Q: How does the bargaining committee and the City of Toronto decide what items are to be addressed first?

A: As part of the bargaining process, the bargaining committee will meet with the City of Toronto with the intent of jointly approving as many items as possible. The focus will be on items that can be discussed and signed off in a short period of time, which then allows more time to focus on items requiring more in-depth discussions, with the goal of a freely negotiated contract to be ratified by the membership. The items will be agreed to by both parties and signed off. Of course, in the event the parties cannot agree, the arbitration process will take place.

Q: Why are we left in the dark during negotiations, and why are we not kept up to date?

A: The straight answer is that communicating any updates would compromise the integrity of the bargaining process. This is a standard rule amongst all unions. We don’t bargain through the media, and we certainly are not looking for public opinion.

Q: What does a total blackout mean when negotiations are underway?

A: Once negotiations are underway, there is a complete blackout meaning no information will be shared outside of the bargaining committee. The items discussed are highly confidential. To avoid any breaches, the bargaining committee and the City of Toronto are placed in lockdown in a hotel until both parties come to an agreement.

Q: What happens if the Association and the City of Toronto cannot come to an agreement on certain items?

A: Those items will be referred to arbitration, where our lawyer and the City’s lawyer would agree on an arbitrator. The arbitrator would try mediation first. If unsuccessful, the next step would be binding arbitration.

I hope the information has been helpful. In closing, this is your future collective agreement. I believe it is imperative that we have full membership involvement to ensure your future is improved and protected.

John MacLachlan, Vice President Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association I.A.F.F. Local 3888

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