A surprising move from the Grey Bruce Health Unit — management has released the details of the latest contract offer to striking clerical and office workers.
The contract would make the workers among the highest paid in Grey Bruce.
According to the Grey Bruce Health Unit — they offered a 3 year contract to the 27 striking OPSEU members.
The 27 workers would get a 3 per cent raise in each of the 3 year contract — plus an additional 1 per cent increase in the last 6 months of the deal and a signing bonus.
That would mean the wage for a Level One employee would jump from almost 18 dollars to 19 dollars an hour in the first year.
The wage for a top level employee would jump from 19 and a half to more than 20 dollars an hour in the first year.
The contract offer also included a strong benefits package that includes four weeks vacation plus 12 annual holidays and 200 dollars bi-annually for Vision Care.
The mileage rate in the contract would also increase from 36 cents to 50 cents per kilometre.
While OPSEU has stated the numbers are outdated — the Grey Bruce Board of Health says they used the salary reports from the Association of Local Public Health Agencies.
The health unit claims the wage increases would put the 27 workers in the middle of the pay scale with all Ontario health units.
But they would be among the highest paid when compared to the salaries of similar workers with the Bluewater school board, Grey Bruce Health Services and Grey and Bruce Counties.
