VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

You have likely heard the words “member-driven union” to describe OPSEU/SEFPO. It is not a slogan – it is a model of governance and a matter of principle: members come first. In practice, it means that our union is run by local members but funded centrally for bargaining, contract defence and education. It means that...

We’ve marched in the parades, attended the picnics and enjoyed a day off with family and friends. Each year, on the first Monday of September, we celebrate the achievements of workers and the powerful movement that we have built. And while there is plenty to celebrate this Labour Day, including the resilience and dedication of...

United we stand, divided we fall. We are much stronger when we work together. It is a lesson I learned during my childhood on the farm and it still holds true today; we can achieve great things through collective action. The history of the labour movement is full of good examples, like achieving the five-day...

Some critics have called it the constitutional “nuclear option.” I call it misguided and wrong. Premier Ford has invoked Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – or what is better known as the notwithstanding clause – which gives provinces the ability to override parts of the Charter for a period of five...

The term “jumping on the bandwagon” typically has a bad rap. But, with a host of employers following OPSEU/SEFPO’s lead and offering more paid sick days to staff, this is a bandwagon every employer should get on. For more than a year, our union – along with our labour and community allies – has been...

As we face wave after wave of this COVID cyclone, it’s no wonder many people feel like they’re treading water just to get by. As the number of COVID cases – and variants – continue to rise, it’s become clear that lockdowns and restrictions can’t keep us afloat. Ontario’s best shot at recovery starts in...

With the 2021 Budget on the horizon, I’m reminded that budgets aren’t just numbers on a page, they embody our values and aspirations. Will this year’s provincial budget reflect our collective aspirations in this COVID era – for investment to rebuild public sector capacity? To create, not cut? We’ll soon know. In the meantime, our...

We’ve experienced many changes this year and COVID-19 has forced us all to rethink how we do most things. But if there’s one thing that’ll never change at OPSEU/SEFPO it’s our sense of duty to every member of our union family. We’re here to help and that’s why I’m so pleased to announce the brand...

It’s coming soon: the day we can all be together again – with our extended families, our friends and the members of our OPSEU/SEFPO family too. I’m looking forward to it, and I’m sure you feel the same way. The pandemic has made it a brutal year, but there is hope on the horizon. The...

Friends, As we approach the end of an extremely challenging year, we want to say thank you to all of our hardworking members for your courageous dedication to the people of Ontario. Many of you took, and continue to take, huge risks serving on the front lines of this pandemic. You deserve all the respect...

This pandemic truly has been an unprecedented time. The decades of cuts to our health care system and public services show that the provincial governments didn’t see it coming.  More needs to be done and fast. While I was glad to see in the recent budget that the Ford government has started to address the...

Friends,  We’re living through a time where it’s hard to say what the next week, month, or year will look like. This year has forced us to get comfortable living with uncertainty.  I’ve been spending almost all of my time recently planning OPSEU/SEFPO’s budget for the upcoming year, and the biggest challenge is anticipating, what...

Friends, We have never celebrated a Labour Day like this one before – everything has changed for front-line workers like us.   Like nothing I’ve ever seen, COVID-19 has focused the world’s attention on the vital importance of the work we do. If we stand strong together in this moment, we can make substantial gains...

Friends, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself when I saw our record high membership numbers last month and thought of those naysayers and elitists from the right and big business who have been saying for decades that the labour movement is declining and one day unions will be a thing of the past.   ...

Friends,  We are living in unsettled and uncertain times. The pandemic. The threat of austerity and cutbacks. Urgent new calls to finally confront systemic racism.  But let me tell you: OPSEU is facing all of these challenges head-on. And as it’s done so many times over its long history, OPSEU and its members will deliver.  Honestly,...