Toronto Star columnist Martin Regg Cohn featured OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas in a column this week on the government’s announcement to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Thomas was invited by Unifor President Jerry Dias to attend Premier Doug Ford’s announcement, which was held at one of Unifor’s offices.
Cohn noted that the sight of the Premier being joined by the two most important labour leaders in Ontario has surprised politicians and political observers.
But Cohn pointed out that Ford is not so much a politician as a populist. He pointed out that like the Premier, “the smart union leaders who bargain hard are more practical than ideological.”