Yesterday, Toronto City Council ratified the five-year Paramedic Services’ collective agreement with the Toronto Civic Employees Union (TCEU) Local 416, the union representing the City’s 1,300 frontline paramedic workers. This follows the ratification by the bargaining unit members on May 20, 2021.
The collective agreement between the City of Toronto and TCEU Local 416 expired on December 31, 2019. The parties negotiated this collective agreement at two separate bargaining tables, one for paramedics and one for the remainder of the bargaining unit.
The broader bargaining unit reached an agreement with the City on February 28, 2020, and it was subsequently ratified in March 2020. All details of that agreement remain in place for paramedic workers.
City paramedics are subject to interest arbitration and therefore cannot strike or be locked out in the event of an impasse at negotiations. As such, the portion of the collective agreement regarding paramedics was referred to interest arbitration at the conclusion of bargaining in 2020. In an effort to avoid the need for arbitration, the parties reconvened for further collective bargaining in April/May of 2021 and were able to reach a negotiated settlement.
The agreement includes meaningful changes to the City’s ability to schedule training and recertification for paramedics that will significantly reduce scheduling conflicts and improve the overall efficiency of workforce deployment.
The five-year agreement also include wage increases (1.98 per cent in the first year, 1.77 per cent per year for the second and third years and 1.99 per cent per year for the last two years) and psychological services benefits for part time workers ($1,000 per year to start, increasing to $2,000 per year beginning in 2023).
Quotes:
“I am pleased that City Council unanimously approved the agreement for Paramedic workers as part of the collective agreement with CUPE Local 416. Our paramedics have been on the frontlines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic – including efforts to increase COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. We are proud of our paramedics and the work they do every day that saves lives in our city and helps residents when they need it the most. The agreement is a good deal that respects our hardworking employees, reflects our financial realities as a city and is fair to the taxpayers.”
– Mayor John Tory
“This agreement meets the goals of the City and the mandate of our Collective Bargaining Subcommittee. I thank everyone for their efforts in delivering a fair outcome for both Paramedic workers and the residents of our city.”
– Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Chair of the Collective Bargaining Subcommittee
SOURCE City of Toronto
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