Stealing our surplus

Dear editor:
It is Day 27 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) strike. The government negotiators finally have been ordered back to the bargaining table by a mediator.
I continue to walk up and down the sidewalk in front of the Ministry of Natural Resources instead of providing public services for the people of Ontario.
It’s not much fun.
The Ontario government is spending $500,000 of your tax dollars on an advertising campaign to tell the public about the contract offer we have rejected. This money could be used to settle the contract they say they cannot afford.
One of the items under dispute is our pension. Quite some time ago, the government had sole control of the pension fund that both the employer and the union members paid for. It was used for low-cost political loans and managed poorly.
While other union pension funds were wisely invested and growing, our pension was going broke.
Through collective bargaining and a very large amount of cash paid by the union to the government, we were able to establish joint control over the pension fund. This fund now was managed by both sides and almost immediately started to show profits.
The surplus funds then are split between the government and the union.
The union chose to give its members a payment break from premiums and used the money to provide for workers to retire a little bit earlier if they wanted. It’s called “factor 80.”
This early retirement plan was negotiated as an option for employees who were “surplused” (government word for “your job has been eliminated”).
The government wants to steal our pension surplus. They want full control over what the pension surplus is used for. It is our money but they want it. It is part of their offer. It is only one of the many concessions they want us to accept.
Using their own figures, the Ontario government is offering its public servants $3 million in contract improvements. In the same offer, it is proposing existing benefit reductions totalling $13 million. Who could accept a contract like that when our wages have not even kept up to the rate of inflation since 1993?
In fact, a zero increase was received in the years 1994-98. In 1999, 2000, and 2001, increases were well below annual inflation rates.
We are only asking for a six percent increase for each of a two-year contract.
We do not want the moon. We want to return to work. We just want a fair deal.
Signed,
Tony Elders
Local #711
Chief Steward