July 30, 2012 (OTTAWA – July 27, 2012) – Several dozen public sector workers, social activists and local labour leaders demonstrated outside of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Ottawa constituency office today in opposition to proposed changes that could take away control workers have over their own retirement funds. “What the McGuinty government is doing amounts to …
Monthly Archive: July 2012
Jul 25
Kitchener Waterloo by-election heats up with NDP Nomination
July 24, 2012 The by-election in Kitchener- Waterloo is just around the corner. This will be an important by-election for OPSEU. Liberals hope to achieve a majority while Hudak’s Conservatives are trying to retain their seat. The NDP hopes to break through in this conservative area. OPSEU members should keep its eyes on the hard …
Jul 24
MANDELA DAY – A Global Call to Action
International Labour Updates Democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom – these are the values of one of the greatest and most courageous humanists, anti-apartheid, human rights and peace activists of all times: Nelson Mandela, who is also named Madiba in South Africa as an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan. …
Jul 21
NOTICE – OPSEU Board Confirms Action Plans to Protect Pensions
July 20, 2012 The OPSEU Executive Board has initiated a campaign to counter government moves to weaken important pension plans covering many members. These pension plans include the OPSEU Pension Trust for members from the OPS and LCBO; the CAAT Plans for academic and support college staff; OMERS for members working for municipalities and HOOPP, …
Jul 17
2012 OPSEU Human Rights Conference – Revised
Unfortunately the call for the 2012 OPSEU Human Rights Conference that was issued previously had an incorrect fax number on it for returning applications. A revised document is attached. Please ensure that members are using the attached document to submit their applications. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
Jul 15
Hudak: Why Should Taxpayers Subsidize Public Sector Unions?
Wednesday, July 11th, 2012 “As Tory MPP Peter Shurman rightly quipped following the latest union attacks on Hudak’s plan, ‘when (they) say we’re wrong, you know we’re on the right path.’ Exactly.” – Toronto Sun editorial, July 6, 2012 QUEEN’S PARK – Ontarians will thrive in a future of balanced budgets, lower taxes, affordable energy …
Jul 15
Hudak shows “true colours” in recent statement against unions
July 11, 2012 TORONTO – PC Leader Tim Hudak has finally shown his true colours by disparaging union support for social justice causes that have been endorsed by the union’s membership, says the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Warren (Smokey) Thomas responded to Hudak’s latest media release where he singled out OPSEU …
Jul 12
Health and safety at stake in labour unrest at nuclear facility: union
Rebecca Lindell, Global News : Wednesday, July 11, 2012 9:05 PM A group of nuclear scientists and engineers is warning that Canada faces an imminent and risky brain drain in the face penny-pinching at Atomic Energy of Canada. With a July 17 strike deadline looming, nuclear workers at the Chalk River Laboratories staged an “information” picket …
Jul 11
Opseu Vice-President/Treasurer’s Message
Summer 2012 – The calm before the storm? July 9, 2012 Greetings, Friends. As we head into what looks to be a scorcher of a summer (although some still say that global warming is not real) I was hoping to provide a lighter message, reflective of summer holidays and family fun. Unfortunately, the times dictate …
Jul 09
Unions must fix image problem
By Murray Mandryk, The StarPhoenix July 7, 2012 A big problem facing organized labour today is that it doesn’t seem to realize how unpopular unions have become. The thought crosses one’s mind in the wake of recent developments, the most eye-popping of which is last month’s Insightrix poll that shows 59 per cent of Saskatchewan …