Correctional officers across the region are feeling good about an eleventh hour deal reached with the province on Saturday.
After nearly a year of intense negotiations, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union came to an agreement just before a midnight strike deadline.
Union spokesperson Shawn Bradshaw says staff were pretty shocked to wake up to the news.
Bradshaw says the deal is the first step to fix the crisis in corrections, noting changes can’t happen overnight.
He notes things like aging infrastructure, overcrowding, and under staffing, can’t necessarily be bargained.
Bradshaw says the agreement fulfills what corrections have long been fighting for and that’s to be recognized as an “essential service”.
Members won’t vote on the deal because of essential service designation, meaning they’ve also given up their right to strike in the future.
