TORONTO – The McGuinty government and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have ratified a historic new four-year collective agreement, Management Board Chair Gerry Phillips announced today.

“At the heart of this agreement is a mutual interest by OPSEU and the government to rebuild Ontario 's public services,” said Phillips. “Our employees deliver important services. They ensure our water is clean, our meat is safe and our communities cared for. This four-year deal will bring stability and confidence to the workforce and, as a result, our communities will be safer and stronger.”

OPSEU represents approximately 42,000 government employees who work in a variety of positions, including nurses, meat and water inspectors, forest firefighters, administrative support staff, correctional officers, and staff providing front-line services to the public.

Some of the features of the new collective agreement, which was ratified by 91 per cent of OPSEU members who voted, include:

A two per cent increase in the first year, a 2.25 per cent increase in the second year, a 2.5 per cent increase in the third year, and a three per cent increase in the fourth year

• Benefit modernization with the introduction of a pay-direct prescription drug card
• An improvement to the government's ability to recruit and retain professionals in certain job classes such as ambulance communications officers, occupational therapists and foresters through special wage increases
• Better stability in the court system through the conversion of 1,400 unclassified court employees to a new classification called flexible part-time, giving them the same rights and benefits of classified employees
• Improvements to the scope of redeployment to broaden the range of employment opportunities for displaced employees.

“Now that we have a new collective agreement in place, we will continue to strengthen the government's relationship with OPSEU, and work together to deliver the best public services to the people of Ontario ,” said Phillips.