TORONTO: The Ontario Public Service Employees Union
today elected Warren “Smokey” Thomas as its sixth president at its 32nd
Convention, held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto.
Thomas, 54, replaces Leah Casselman who retires after
serving an unprecedented 12 years as OPSEU president.
"I look forward to working together with all the
members and staff of OPSEU as we move this growing union into the
future," he said
Thomas, a long-time union activist and member of the
OPSEU Executive Board, is a registered practical nurse from Kingston.
He defeated union activists Nancy Pridham, 42, a
registered practical nurse from Toronto, and David Rapaport, 59, an
information technology professional from Toronto.
OPSEU represents about 120,000 employees of the Ontario
government, Ontario's community colleges, and more than 500 broader
public sector employers such as hospitals, the LCBO, ambulance services,
school boards, municipalities, social service agencies and private
corporations.
