About 5,000 members of the Power Workers’ Union, who run Ontario Power Generation facilities across the province, have ratified a two-year deal retroactive to April 1, 2022.
May 3, 2023 May 3, 2023 2 min read
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By Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau ChiefUnionized workers who keep the lights on in Ontario have been given a jolt in pay.
About 5,000 members of the Power Workers’ Union, who run Ontario Power Generation nuclear, hydro and thermal facilities across the province, have ratified a two-year deal retroactive to April 1, 2022.
Under the agreement, the workers — who had been without a contract for more than a year — will receive a 4.75 per cent increase for the first year and 3.5 per cent for the second, plus signing bonuses totalling $5,000.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWThat’s a more lucrative payout than in other recent Ontario public service labour settlements, and far exceeds the one per cent wage cap that was in place under the controversial Bill 124.
The 2019 law, which limited wage increases for nurses and other public servants to one per cent annually for three years, was struck down as unconstitutional in an Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruling five months ago.
Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are challenging that decision.
In a statement that did not address the amounts in the Power Workers’ deal, Energy Minister Todd Smith said he was “pleased” by the accord.
“The women and men of the PWU play a key role in building Ontario’s clean energy future,” said Smith.
“I look forward to continued collaboration as we build the generation we need to power our growing population and economy, including Canada’s first grid-scale small modular nuclear reactor,” he said.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWPWU spokesman John Ives would not comment on the terms of the accord, saying only that union members had ratified it.
Ontario Power Generation spokesman Neal Kelly said the collective agreement “brings value and certainty to employees and meets OPG’s operational needs.”
“The agreement is a fair and reasonable outcome for employees as we lead the clean energy transition through safe, reliable, affordable power generation,” said Kelly.
The contract, which expires next March 31, includes provisions for employees of the Pickering nuclear generating station, which OPG has said will stop producing electricity in September 2026.
A transition agreement “would provide job security for regular employees through any Pickering end of commercial operations downsizing and redeployment,” according to a joint statement sent to employees by Crown utility and the union.
