The union that represents officers of the Anishinabek Police Service (APS) says they rejected the employer's final contract offer because it would have put them further behind other First Nations police services.
Members of the APS turned down the offer in a vote conducted last week by the Ministry of Labour.
The PSAC represents APS officers assigned to 12 detachments in 16 First Nations across Ontario from Fort William to Kettle and Stony Point First Nation in the south.
PSAC spokesperson Sharon DeSousa said the union was surprised that the employer "instead of negotiating with us, went to the members with an offer that had even more cuts than what they had last agreed to at the bargaining table."
According to DeSousa, the tabled offer included cuts in a number of areas ranging from pregnancy and parental leave to seniority rights.
PSAC also represents officers with the Treaty Three and Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, where the union has pointed to significant gains being made in working conditions and safety, including ending the practice of officers working alone in remote communities.
DeSousa said APS officers "didn't want an agreement that would put their police service even further behind" their colleagues.
A spokesperson for the Police Governing Authority, the employer of the APS, was not immediately available for comment to Tbnewswatch.
Funding for the service is negotiated through a tripartite agreement with the federal & Ontario governments and the member nations, with Canada providing 52 per cent of the funding, and Ontario providing the balance.
