The Regional Municipality of York's unionized employees marched into regional headquarters today to protest an oncoming mandated return to office policy.
About 15 regional employees, plus CUPE 905 union representatives, delivered a petition with more than 500 signatures. The petition opposes the region’s plans to implement a 50-50 home-office split starting July 1, after years of a flexible work arrangement that allowed some employees to mostly work from home.
The contingent did not get the meeting it wanted with CAO Erin Mahoney. CUPE 905 president Katherine Grzejszczak said the union lacks another mechanism to have employees’ voices heard, and it was an effort to try and get a meeting with the employer to address concerns.
“It speaks volumes that people are willing to come together and deliver this petition together. We have put so much time into making this happen,” she said. “We were hopeful that the CAO or her representative would have taken the time for 15 minutes to hear out some of the very personal stories of how this policy change is going to affect employees.”
Under the current policy, office-based employees are able to work from home at their discretion, except on designated “anchor days.”
However, the region sent a message to employees Feb. 27 that this would be changing to a mandate of at least 50 per cent of working hours at the office.
The petition said the flexible work arrangement has led to higher employee satisfaction and productivity. It lays out concerns such as retention and recruitment, employees impacted who may be living outside of York Region due to high housing costs here, the environmental impact of more people commuting and the challenge posed to employees with disabilities.
Speaking to others in the union’s contingent, Denis Heng said the region’s response and policy change go against its reputation as a top employer.
He also said that the only reason he lives in York Region is because he was able to buy his house many years ago before prices soared.
“If I had to buy my house again, there’s no way I could work in York Region,” he said, adding that many younger employees have to live 60 to 90 minutes away. “I know the cost of turnover and how much it costs the organization … I would love to continue building relationships that I have. And I do want to come to the office. I do want to interact with it, but I don’t think any threshold of 50 per cent is the right way to go.”
Asked to respond, York Region's director of corporate communications Patrick Casey said the region welcomes the opportunity for scheduled meetings with union leadership.
"Communicating the updated policy well in advance of this implementation date provides staff with a period to adjust and prepare," Casey said. "Offering a flexible work environment helps to drive best practices and digital transformation and addresses our growing pressures to implement continuous improvement in service delivery. Certain activities are best-suited for in-person interactions, including team meetings, interviews, onboarding, team building, complex problem-solving, collaboration and mentoring. Embracing hybrid work ensures we’re sustaining excellence in service delivery while efficiently managing our workplace and making better use of technology."
Notably, regional council has questioned the use of office space under the current policy.
Despite not getting a meeting, CUPE 905 vice-president Nina Brown said the march into headquarters was still an important gesture.
“It resonates with all of us at different levels. We didn’t get heard. We need to remember that there are 500-plus people who are wanting to see change,” she said. “This is just a hiccup …. We just hold on, and we strategize, and we find a way. We don’t let the disappointment overtake us.”
However, not all employees feel as the union does. Many employees have already had to work in the office for some time.
One employee, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said many fixed employees do not support the union’s effort. They feel the union could have been gone to bat for the fixed employees to get something more for going into the office.
“We’re all just sick of listening to the cry babies is basically what it is,” they said. “We all come in every day, and I, truthfully, believe that working as a team in person is a much more productive way to work."
They added there was never a guarantee that the work-from-home environment was going to remain permanent following the pandemic, and employees could have been mindful of that.
Grzejszczak said everyone is struggling with the rising cost of living and long commutes stand to take more time away from family.
“Working from home has provided benefits to all workers and to the environment and to entire communities,” she said. “It’s not just regional employees that have seen the benefit of working from home. When we talk about pollution and congestion on roads, that’s something that affects the entire community.”
