When the food service employees at the Sutherland campus of Fleming College in Peterborough voted to join OPSEU, it was nearly unanimous: almost every worker wanted to join OPSEU and start having a real say in their workplace.
“On behalf of all 165,000 members of OPSEU, I’d like to offer heartfelt congratulations,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “There’s not much more inspiring than a group of workers deciding to stand together against bad treatment from bad bosses.
“For these Fleming College workers, the days of having to put up with disrespect and intimidation are over. With OPSEU, they’ll finally have the say in the workplace they deserve.”
The new OPSEU members all work for Aramark Canada, a subsidiary of a massive multinational that provides privatized food, facilities and uniform services to public agencies around the world.
“It doesn’t matter if your employer is a private company – if your job is providing public services, you’ll find a good home in OPSEU,” said OPSEU Region 3 Regional Vice-President Sara Labelle.
“I’m so pleased these food service workers have chosen to join us, and I’m so proud that OPSEU now represents all of the frontline workers at the Sutherland campus,” said OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida. “Together, we’ll ensure that all the workers on the campus have the working conditions they need to offer the best possible education and experience to the students.”
The new OPSEU members will be part of the union’s Universities Sector.
“What fantastic news,” said Kella Loschiavo, the chair of the Universities Sector. “High-quality post-secondary education doesn’t just depend on what happens in the classroom. And the more workers who join our sector, the stronger the province’s entire post-secondary system will be.”