The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and the OPSEU Staff Unit are heading back to the bargaining table next week. The parties have agreed to meet September 1 and 2, 2010, with the assistance of a Ministry of Labour mediator.

NOSM remains committed to reaching a first collective agreement with the OPSEU Staff Unit which fairly reflects the unique nature of NOSM and its workforce.

Like the rest of the broader public sector, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is impacted by recent Ontario government legislation and policy statements regarding compensation restraints for employees.

With regard to bargaining unit employees, the government’s policy statement lays out a clear expectation that “new collective agreements will be of at least two years duration and provide no net increase in compensation for at least two years.” The fiscal plan provides no funding to NOSM for incremental compensation increases for new collective agreements. This is particularly challenging for NOSM as it manages a structural deficit.

Statements made publicly by the President of OPSEU Local 677, the President of the OPSEU Staff Unit Bargaining Team, and a OPSEU staff representative have indicated the OPSEU Staff Unit is prepared to accept status quo benefits and wages; however, these statements are inconsistent with what the Staff Unit has proposed at the bargaining table.

NOSM is committed to maintaining a competitive compensation program to retain and attract staff and faculty employees that is fair and equitable. Information about employee wages, entitlements, and the working environment at NOSM is posted on the School’s website at www.nosm.ca.

Since August 9, 2010, the Ontario government has been consulting with the leaders of several unions, including OPSEU’s President Warren (Smokey) Thomas, to address how the government’s policy statement of “no net increase in compensation for at least two years” impacts the achievement of collective bargaining outcomes. OPSEU has declined NOSM’s requests to pause collective bargaining while these consultations take place.

NOSM remains committed to reaching a first collective agreement with the OPSEU Staff Unit which fairly reflects the unique nature of NOSM and its workforce.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s (NOSM) entry class of 2010 will be treated to a “Meet and Greet Dinner” later today at the Thunder Bay Métis Community Centre in Thunder Bay, hosted by the Thunder Bay Métis Council and the School’s Aboriginal Reference Group. The Thunder Bay Métis Council is one of 30 chartered communities that are included in the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Each year during Orientation Week, the incoming class is invited to attend cultural events and dinners that highlight the diversity of Northern Ontario. As this year is the “Year of the Métis,” tonight’s dinner is a particularly appropriate way to have NOSM’s newest M.D. students end their first day of Orientation.

This evening, NOSM students and invited guests will be provided with a teaching by an Elder, as well as be welcomed by dignitaries from the Thunder Bay Métis Council, Lakehead University, and NOSM.

NOSM’s Orientation Week is an important event for incoming classes. During this unique experience, students participate in working sessions, travel to several Northern Ontario communities, meet physicians and community leaders, and become acquainted with their new lives as medical students.