On Monday, in a victory for public sector collective bargaining rights the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision striking down the Ford government’s Bill 124.
The Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, better known as Bill 124 was passed by the Ford government in 2019. Bill 124 capped public sector wages at one per cent per year for three years. Over 2,500 public sector bargaining units were impacted.
As you know, the TFA was one of the unions impacted by this legislation. Today’s ruling preserves our salary adjustments and retroactive payments as a result of our Bill 124 salary re-opener settlement that was implemented in September, 2023.
In 2019, when Bill 124 passed, unions argued that it was a clear violation of collective bargaining rights and committed to challenging it in the courts. The TFA is pleased to see the Ontario Court of Appeal agree with the previous court ruling that Bill 124 “substantially” interfered with public sector bargaining rights.
This is a win for TFA members and for collective bargaining rights for all workers in the public sector.
Jesmen Mendoza,
TFA President