Tentative agreement reached to end lockout of mental health workers in Timmins

A total of 147 employees with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Timmins have reached a tentative agreement to end a lockout that began last month.

Members of OPSEU Local 631 announced the news on their Facebook page.

“Happy News!” the post read.

“OPSEU Local 631 Canadian Mental Health Association CT Branch just reached a tentative agreement in our fourth week of the lockout. We stood our ground and did not back down! The power of the people is stronger than the people in power!”

“When workers stand shoulder to shoulder, they lead the way,” the main OPSEU Facebook page said.

“Frontline workers of Local 631 have secured a tentative agreement after four weeks of a gruelling lockout … This is a WIN for northern workers, their clients and every worker across Ontario that supported them.”

Workers have been locked out since Feb. 13 after failing to reach a settlement.

Maggie Wakeford is the president of OPSEU Local 631 and she told CTV News that the lockout was hard on both workers and their clients.

Officials with the local CMHA said that efforts had been made to minimize the service disruption in the area.

“There’s no denying that there is an impact," said Cochrane-Timiskaming CMHA executive director Paul Jalbert.

"We’ve had to, for example, do a triage of clients and to identify those with the highest level of need or the highest acuity, to make sure that we provide supports to them.”

Jalbert said housing, clinics and medical supports continued to be offered during the lockout and phone lines were open. 

Wages were the major sticking point in the contract negotiations.

"It was nonsense, really, because we ended up getting, pretty much, what we wanted,” said Wakeford.

Locked out workers have been active, posting videos of themselves dancing to music on the picket line.

At one point in late February, Timmins police charged one of the workers with breaking the city's noise bylaw.

Police said they received a complaint from a citizen about loud noise coming from the picket line on Second Avenue.

OPSEU said its vice-president received the $150 ticket when officers showed up to say the music members were playing was too loud. The union also said it would pay the fine on their member’s behalf.

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No word yet on what exactly is in the tentative contract or when workers will be voting whether to approve it but officials said staff could return to work as early as Monday.

– With files from CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Sergio Arangio