More concessions at EMDC...

This taken from the OPSEU Local #108 blog:

At an Employee Relations Committee Meeting held April 21st 2009. The employer allocated 15 roll-over opportunities for fixed-term (unclassified) EMDC correctional officers. See the Memorandum dated April 23, 2009 for details.

The union was committed to and I quote, "Endeavor to make best efforts to safely ensure that the inmates who are scheduled for court, arrive in A & D and to their court appearances in a timely fashion. Efforts would be made to work cooperatively with the Employer understanding that these efforts will be made in as safe and as efficient manner as possible".

TODAY THE EMPLOYER WITHDREW THE OFFER FOR THESE 15 POSITIONS.

OPSEU Local #108 Executives ordered to the Ontario Labour Relations Board

OPSEU Local #108 (Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre) President Charlene Cole and Vice President Rick Kennett have been ordered to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) because the employer has served the union. They are scheduled to attend both today and tomorrow (May 4 and 5) and we trust that the proceedings will go fairly and that the resultant decision(s) favour the interests of our Bargaining Unit Members and these local Executives.

Workplace safety may fall to fiscal pressures

Wed, April 29, 2009

By RANDY RICHMOND, LONDON FREE PRESS

With the economy threatening to make workplaces even more dangerous, Canada is on pace for a record number of deaths and injuries, labour advocates warned in London yesterday. The poor economy will make workers afraid to report injuries, employers more likely to cut corners and politicians more willing to turn a blind eye to abuses, they said. Already this year in Ontario, 92 claims of workplace death and 42,933 claims of injuries have been reported to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

"With the recession, the numbers are likely to increase," said Wendy Knelsen, who works with injured workers.

London Coun. Susan Eagle agreed. "As the economic downturn continues, there is pressure to cut corners and cut costs," she said. "There is pressure on elected officials to turn a blind eye."

About 30 labour advocates gathered at the Tolpuddle Housing Co-operative yesterday to mark the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. In 2007 -- the most recent year of complete statistics -- 439 Ontario workers were killed on the job. That's a 78% increase over the past decade, said Patti Dalton, president of the London and District Labour Council. Overall in Canada, 1,055 workers were killed in 2007.

"We will not let these lost lives be forgotten or waiver in our resolve to fight for workplaces," Dalton said. She and other speakers told fellow labour activists they have to work harder than ever to make sure governments pass and enforce health and safety regulations and employers follow them.

Speaking out can work, said Vern Edwards, director of occupational health and safety for the Ontario Federation of Labour. Organized labour recently won a battle for legislation against violence in the workplace, which could come into force by fall, he said. "We will need to work hard to see that employers meet their obligations," he said.

The next battle should be over regulations aiding workers who suffer repetitive strain and muscular injuries, Knelsen said. "These injuries are preventable."

So far, only guidelines to prevent those injuries have been approved, said George Botic, national representative for the Canadian Auto Workers. "That is a tool that is not enforceable in court," he said.

Randy Richmond is a Free Press reporter.

randy.richmond@sunmedia.ca

Delays affect court process...

The Chatham Daily News - April 14/09

By Erica Bajer The Daily News

Long waits at a London detention centre are causing some delays at the Chatham-Kent Courthouse.

“It’s ridiculous,” local defence lawyer David Jacklin said of recent prisoner delivery backups from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. “The problem is you have people in custody, usually females, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. court and not arriving until after 1 p.m.,” he said. “The whole court system comes to a halt while we wait for these people to arrive.” Jacklin said he’s heard that the delays are a result of job action at the detention centre. Rick Kennett, vice-president of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) Local 108 that represents guards at the London jail, denied suggestions last week's delays were an intentional display by OPSEU members unhappy with recent changes to overtime compensation. Kennett said overcrowding at the London jail, a building designed for 300 inmates, caused the delays. The overcrowding means five inmates often share a cell designed for three, he said. Though the courts expect inmates to arrive promptly, Kennett said it takes a significant amount of time and "a lot of manpower" to get the prisoners to the courthouse, causing the backlog. "Our process is safety first," he said. "As far as I can tell, everyone who was scheduled to go to court went to court. Whether they went there early or late, they got there." Frequent remands also crowd the facility, Kennett said. "If the lawyers keep remanding the inmates into custody, the jail gets more and more crowded, and everything takes that much longer. "The reality is it takes time and we do what we can."

Sgt. George Vieira, head of security at the local courthouse, said his officers started noticing the delays on April 2. He said delays of two-and-a-half hours picking up and dropping off prisoners have been fairly consistent since then. He noted local police don’t attend the EMDC daily but do transport prisoners a few times a week. Vieira is documenting when the delays occur and said local judiciary and Crown attorneys are aware of the situation. “We’ve made every effort, when we know we are going to be late, to contact our partners at the courthouse,” he said. “We have no control over it, it’s a corrections issue, not a police issue.” The sergeant said the issue results in overtime costs when there are long waits when prisoners are returned to the facility. Jacklin said clients have expressed frustration with the waits. “It causes a great deal of anxiety for the accused people because they don’t know why they are being held up,” he said.

Defence lawyer Gudrun Mueller-Wilm said waits at the detention centre have only impacted one of her clients so far. She’s concerned about the issue, hoping it is resolved quickly. Mueller-Wilm said a local justice of the peace announced last week that delays should be expected because of job action involving EMDC.

Ontario's Attorney General Chris Bentley, who represents London West, said he's aware of the issues locally and has passed them on to Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci. "I'm concerned about any delays in the courts and hope that any issues between parties get resolved as quickly as possible," Bentley said.