Ontario Collective Bargaining Agreement Expirations, 2008

1. Executive Summary

The Ontario Collective Bargaining Agreement Expirations report provides an overview of the expected collective bargaining activity in Ontario for 2008. The key findings of this report are summarized as follows:

• Collective bargaining activity for 2008 will involve more than 2,500 collective agreements covering approximately 636,000 employees. Compared to the year 2007, the number of agreements expiring in 2008 represents a 10% increase.
• The majority of agreements in 2008 will expire during March, June, August, and December, in the health and welfare services, education and related services, and local government sector; in terms of the number of employees covered, most bargaining activity will occur in March, August, and December, affecting workers in education and related services, health and welfare services, provincial government, and the municipal sector.
• Public sector agreements, which account for 48% of all agreements expiring in 2008, cover approximately 75% of all employees in both the public and private sectors.
• Of the 1,213 public sector agreements expiring in 2008, a total of 1,094 or 90% are in health and welfare services (42%), education and related services (38%), and the municipal sector (10%). Of the approximately 474,000 public sector employees whose agreements expire in 2008, a total of 448,085 or 94% are employed in education and related services (54%), health and welfare services (19%), provincial government (12%), and local government (9%).
• Major negotiations in the broader public sector (BPS) for 2008 include hospitals (March, June), nursing homes and homes for the aged (March, December), school boards (August, December), colleges (August), universities (April, June, August), urban transit (March), provincial and municipal governments (March, December).
• Key negotiations in the private sector include the Big Three Automakers: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors (September), Pharma Plus Drugmarts (January), and Windsor Casino (April).
• Under federal jurisdiction, Canada-wide agreements for Canada Post, and Communications/Advertising Institute & Canadian Advertisers Association, will also expire in 2008.
• Major unions, representing the largest number of employees covered by agreements expiring in 2008, include Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadian Auto Workers, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Ontario Nurses' Association, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, and Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association.