TEO SPECIAL CASE
We are launching our first ever campaign for our special case to be heard during this round of bargaining. We are a strong 300 plus badge-carrying TEOs scattered throughout the Province. Although members of Local 506 are initiating this province-wide campaign, to be successful, we want the support of all our brothers and sisters. To this end, we ask that you contact all your colleagues and have them register this online petition as soon as possible. Please ask your enforcement supervisor and manager to register as well if they are in support of our cause. This way you can tell who our supporters and friends are. We are hoping 100% support for this on-line petition, which will be presented to the OPS employer’s bargaining team through OPSEU.
We are launching our first ever campaign for our special case to be heard during this round of bargaining. We are a strong 300 plus badge-carrying TEOs scattered throughout the Province. Although members of Local 506 are initiating this province-wide campaign, to be successful, we want the support of all our brothers and sisters. To this end, we ask that you contact all your colleagues and have them register this online petition as soon as possible. Please ask your enforcement supervisor and manager to register as well if they are in support of our cause. This way you can tell who our supporters and friends are. We are hoping 100% support for this on-line petition, which will be presented to the OPS employer’s bargaining team through OPSEU.
To: Our OPS Employer
ONLINE PETITION TO OUR OPS EMPLOYER
We, the undersigned Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs) of Ontario, wish to petition the following:
We are the Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs) of Ontario. We perform the ministry’s enforcement activities for the Eastern, Northern, Northwestern, Central, and Southwestern regions by enforcing the statutes and regulations related to the operation of Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV) in Ontario.
We inspect CMV and enforce the legislative requirements for CMV, including transport trucks, school buses, and motor coaches operating on Ontario highways, through area mobile enforcement and through 25 strategically placed Truck Inspection Stations. This includes transport trucks, school buses, and motor coaches operating on Ontario highways.
We monitor the commercial carrier industry through field audits conducted on-site at the carriers’ facilities to ensure compliance with the federal and provincial regulations.
We want our employer to know that there is a large wage inconsistency within the OPS related to enforcement. We are one of the lowest paid enforcement groups in the Provincial Government, yet we are entrusted with the most important front line enforcement duties, directly impacting the day-to-day safety of all Ontario citizens. We had presented a special case before the bargaining teams at the last few contract negotiations, which has never been adequately addressed. In the last round of negotiations, the employer also failed to address our job classification.
As public servants, we provide a real, tangible contribution to the daily safety of all road users in the province of Ontario. We save lives through the work that we do. We are a highly trained workforce who constantly have to take refresher training in order to maintain levels of inspections and accreditation. We are the only enforcement group in the province responsible for maintaining Ontario’s high standing within the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. We are certified, accredited members in this North American wide team, enforcing truck safety on the highways and conducting on-site field audits at the carrier’s facilities, yet we are not paid or recognized for the difficult and vital work we perform. To retain a talented and skilled workforce and deliver quality public services for Ontarians, it is imperative that during this round of bargaining, our special case be seriously considered and addressed by the employer.
When our bargaining team presents our special case during this round of bargaining, we ask that you recognize the vital contributions we make to save lives and, as such, our wages need to be brought into parity with other enforcement officers.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned