The Ontario Council Of Painters Of The Iupat Is Working For You In Ontario

Training Standards:

Training Standards:

The Ontario Council Representatives are busy working for you throughout Ontario beginning with support to significant pieces of legislation brought forward at Queens Park. The highlight of all legislation may be an Act to revise and modernize the law related to the apprenticeship and trades qualifications and to establish the Ontario College of Trades, Bill 183. What this means for our industries could lead to compulsory certification for all of our certified trades: Painter and Decorator, Drywall Finisher, Exterior Insulated Finishes applicator and the Architectural Glass and Metal Technician. The 3rd reading of the bill occurred in October and it is now time to implement governance and directors to move forward.

You may be wondering what this means for you?

In the event our designated crafts become compulsory, it means every tradesperson in every craft must serve an apprenticeship and become a certified journeyperson. This will bring our trade standards to a higher level and will make our industries competitive and on the same level as non-union workers. This will gain us market share and provide more work for our members. You can view this legislation by visiting the website of the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities of Ontario.

Stilts:

The journey to legalize stilts in the residential construction industry for drywall finishers continues. Your Representatives have been working diligently throughout the process and I am happy to report we are on the final stages before a regulation change to the Occupational Health & Safety Act presented to Labour Minister, Peter Fonseca. I can give you a short summary of activity:

March 2005 a proposal for a pilot project is presented to the Minister of Labour.

May 2005 the proposal is presented to the CSAO Provincial Labour/Management Committee and accepted for further research.

January 2006 meetings are taking place with local trade and labour/management health & safety committees to dispel the fear of stilts being enforced on other trade industries.

June 2006 the research for comprehensive data to prove stilts are a benefit to workers ergonomically and do not pose a hazard to the industry no research can be found.

February 2007 the University of Waterloo is commissioned to do an ergonomic study and an assessment of work using stilts versus a bench.

April 2008 the first report from the University of Waterloo is complete to measure. performance of and balance to test proficiency of stilts.

June 2008 the second report from the University of Waterloo outlines the recovery during tasks and comparing stilts and work benches.

August 2008 the third report from University of Waterloo to validate, measure and assess stilts and benches along with an executive summary with final report final report favours stilts over benches.

September 2008 Dr. Prentice (U.of W.) presents his findings to the Provincial committee the Provincial committee endorses the study results and agree to regulation amendments.

October 2008 the Minister of Labour agrees to begin a regulation amendment and a committee is formed to write regulations with the MOL legal and technical departments.

May 2009 a training committee is formed facilitated with the CSAO to accommodate the MOL requirements.

September 2009 with completion of proposed regulations and training program the provincial committee agrees to send regulations to the Construction Legislative Review Committee and to the CSAO Labour/Management network throughout Ontario for a 90 day review and feedback.

October 2009 IUPAT representatives attend the Labour/Management meetings around the province to explain and seek support of the proposed stilt regulations.

November 2009 the accumulated feedback regarding the regulation changes are to be evaluated and presented to the Minister of Labour for a change in regulation to legalize stilts.

Timing of when the legislation is presented for a change in the Act to legalize stilts is pending. Positive discussion with the Minister and Ministry of Labour staff is ongoing and near to the point of legalizing stilts.

It has been a long road and not without taking steps forward and then being pushed back on several occasions. This is a controversial issue among other trades but we are confident we will get the job done because we have been patient and addressing this matter with transparency.

Contract Negotiations:

In the past meetings have been held regarding market share issues prior to negotiations. This has not occurred this time because it is obvious the work flow that is in your area. It appears to be boom or bust and in most places of Ontario it is pretty bad. After 15 solid years of work in southern Ontario, the north has the bulk of construction along with downtown Toronto. I am not convinced it will continue in the next 2 years and we need to be cognizant of our future. In February 2010 it will be the legally within our right to commence collective bargaining in all of our trades. Proposal meetings will be occurring in January in every local union in the Province. You should be thinking of progressive changes to the collective agreement now and have them presented at the proposal meeting in your local in January.

Raiding:

Once February comes along it is time to commence collective bargaining. This is also the time an enthusiastic and greedy union may come along and ask you to sign a card for their organization to displace the IUPAT. BEWARE, this will not be in your best interest. If that occurs you must call your representative as soon as it happens and report it.

During this period it is an opportunity for you to decertify from your employer and have your employer to become non-union. DO NOT sign any petitions of any sort without talking to your union representative first. Signing a card from another union or a petition to decertify your employer may have serious complications for you, your family and your future.

For more information, visit iupat.

by: Toan Dinh

POST COMMENT

What's Really In Your Control? The Magic Of Making Up - Is It For You? Girlfriend Breakup Online Consumer Forum Culture And Technology Should Be Communicated Between The Usa And China Cellular Amplifiers Options To Conduct Obituary Searches "brazil Is Too Conservative And Uptight.", Says Houston Translation Worker And Portuguese Translator Arabic Translation And Portuguese Translation Workers Discuss Brazil's New Drones T Dub Magic Of Making Up - Is It A Scam? The Husband Store Dating Tips For Men - Getting The Ladies Not That Hard A Motivation Theory To Try Right Now