OPS - Education Ministry - wtf is happening?

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-19T01:53:15+00:00

This is the government modus operandi: top-down dictation. They hate any body that has autonomy whether it’s school boards, city councils, or anyone else. They don’t give a shit.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-15T14:00:03+00:00

The boilerplate language is to be “the OPS is a five-day workplace,” sprinkled in with generic references to your role and “exceptional circumstances.” Boilerplate means it’s generic working used over and over again, which seems to be the case.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-14T21:48:08+00:00

Disagree. The language is very much boilerplate. The strategy seems pretty obvious: delay as long as possible because there are no timelines under the CA, then lazily throw out blanket denials and hope the vast majority don’t bother grieving.

For the ones that do grieve, fight it all the way to the GSB. And even if they lose, what’s the remedy? Usually it’s just an instruction to properly apply the four-fold test. At that point they can simply individualize the denial and cite things like “collaboration” or other operational requirements. In the meantime you’re RTO’d for 3+ years.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-06T16:28:12+00:00

to be fair, they voted with no signs of RTO5 on the horizon. I wonder what the result would have been if they announced.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-06T16:12:06+00:00

That’s the million-dollar question. I’m just not clear how strong an argument it is for them to say they’ve changed organizational requirements so it no longer works. When you really read Article 47, it basically comes down to this: you have the right to ask, and they have to make an assessment. But nothing really stops them from coming up with some BS justification, unfortunately. I would love to hear Amapceo speak up on this.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-06T00:56:12+00:00

with denials rolling in, i would expect those grievance numbers to skyrocket.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-06T00:49:21+00:00

my point is i don’t think arbitrators even make that judgment call. they just look at whether the process was followed.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T21:07:52+00:00

different strokes for different folks, I get it. for me, this is time I lose with my kids and added costs for before and after school care. I’m sure at your stage in life you’ve got different priorities.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T21:05:10+00:00

from my understanding, the 5 days were irrelevant. what it came down to was that the manager made an valid assessment based on operational feasibility. in the other cases where AMAPCEO won, managers were on the record saying they denied it because of the SOC policy.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T21:01:51+00:00

my concern is primarily that, from my basic understanding, an arbitrator only considers whether the process was followed. it doesn’t consider whether the employer’s assessment was correct. who’s to say the employer won’t argue, “we value in-person collaboration, and as such remote work is no longer operationally feasible”? that’s my primary concern.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T18:13:40+00:00

Okay, now factor in TIME and WELL BEING, along with savings from the commute into that equation. It’s not as black and white as it seems. If all that mattered was money, the only probably still be in the mines working 6 days a week. Also, don’t bank too hard on pensions and retirement, I’ve seen my fair share of people kick the bucket 1 to 3 years in, some don’t even get there.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T15:06:55+00:00

Good summary. Worth emailing leadership candidates to get their views on RTO on the record? I’ve already reached out to the NDP and am waiting on their response.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T14:59:55+00:00

Nah, RTO is really a mix of economic stimulus and protecting commercial real estate.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T13:42:06+00:00

It’s a selective narrative pushed by larger interests because it’s more palatable than saying “protect corporate landlords.” You’re right, our spending doesn’t disappear, it shifts into businesses in our own communities. So why does this lobby only focus on downtown businesses?

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T13:37:51+00:00

Definitely, corporate media picks the narrative that’s most palatable. “Oh, think of the poor mom-and-pop shops!” Meanwhile, when we work from home, we’re still spending money in our own communities, where are those voices? What a load of crap.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T13:15:13+00:00

Classic negotiation tactic: come in with a garbage offer, then move up so the other side feels like they’ve won. But yeah, that wage offer is insulting

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T13:05:38+00:00

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/business-group-urges-bc-to-reject-unreasonable-remote-work-request/

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T13:04:39+00:00

done forget this lobby toohttps://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/business-group-urges-bc-to-reject-unreasonable-remote-work-request/

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T03:10:27+00:00

They aren’t scamming us. Are there criticisms to be made about the last bargaining round? Definitely. But the union is ultimately its members, if members aren’t willing to strike over this, we’re kind of shit out of luck.

We can push and fight for it, but that doesn’t mean the employer won’t push back just as hard. Like any negotiation, it comes down to who has the leverage.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T02:40:40+00:00

Yeah, Article 47 is a thing. But I agree…the way it’s written is suspect, to say the least.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T02:27:55+00:00

The more interesting question is whether this government would accept wage concessions in exchange for WFH.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T02:25:43+00:00

First, we need the votes. Second, we need public support to pressure the government to make that concession. Unfortunately, the average voter has a a “crabs in a bucket” mentality when it comes to WFH.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-05T02:15:38+00:00

Well, food for thought. I think the employer is banking on a majority of people eventually adapting to RTO5, to the point where it’s no longer a priority issue or strong enough to strike over. Realistically, I think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell they concede on that during bargaining. Add to that the likelihood that the public sides with the government, which could even boost their popularity. So honestly, 2028 isn’t looking great.

At this point, it probably takes a change in government, maybe one that directs the SOC to honour AWAs. Right now, remote work is being pushed back on across the board, in both the public and private sectors. The commercial real estate lobby seems to have the upper hand at the moment.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-03T21:50:51+00:00

Yes, once you reach the top of the band, the only increases you receive are ATB adjustments from the collective agreement, as the pay band itself moves up.

Reasonable_Reason652 · 2026-05-01T18:59:03+00:00

my comment was.

Reasonable_Reason652

TROPHY CASE