VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Recent messages
- November 29, 2024
We want to take a moment to thank the thousands of OPSEU/SEFPO members who took the time to fill out the Social Mapping Survey. The survey has now closed and the exciting work of analyzing and reporting on the data will soon begin. The Social Mapping Project is a systematic demographic analysis of our membership...
- January 16, 2024
At OPSEU/SEFPO we’re ready to meet the moment. We’re ready to make this the year of the worker in Ontario. Right now, workers have more bargaining power than we have in decades. It’s time to balance the scales and fight for the wages and working conditions we deserve. And we’ll do that by organizing and...
- December 21, 2023
At OPSEU/SEFPO, we are building an organizing union powerful enough to meet the moment in which we are all living. We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, and workers are feeling the pressure every day. Whether it’s groceries, gas, utilities or rent – everything is getting more expensive. Many workers are finding their...
- December 8, 2023
This past year has been full of challenges and trying times. But every time there was a call for solidarity, you showed up! And that gives us profound hope for the future. Without you, none of what we accomplished in 2023 would have been possible. It bears repeating; united we cannot be defeated. While this...
- November 10, 2023
Dear Members, In response to the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East, many of you have been writing to us to ask OPSEU/SEFPO to take a stronger position – to call for a ceasefire and to join the millions of people who have been on the streets, marching in support of an immediate ceasefire in...
- October 27, 2023
This has been a hot labour summer, continuing on through the fall. Workers across Canada and the US have been flexing our muscles against bosses and governments who want us to accept working conditions, wages, and benefits well below what we deserve, and well below record-high inflation. And workers are winning. So how do workers...
- October 6, 2023
OPSEU/SEFPO stands in solidarity with the Sikh community in the wake of the death of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. – a Sikh temple. We echo the federal NDP’s calls for a public inquiry on the circumstances surrounding the death. We hope that a public inquiry will...
- October 6, 2023
Friends, we are in a critical fight to protect our Charter rights. Many of you know about the tide of anti-trans protests, disguised in the divisive rhetoric of “parents’ rights”, organized by the far-right a couple of weeks ago. We organized counter protests and showed up in numbers with our love and solidarity. Now, following...
- February 15, 2022
"During Black History Month, we must also acknowledge the many systemic barriers that still exist today, and we must commit ourselves to continuing the fight to break them down. I’m proud of our union’s long history doing just that."
- January 10, 2022
Since President Thomas announced his retirement last month, many of our great union’s members have encouraged me to run for President. I am deeply humbled by the confidence so many of you have shown in me, and I appreciate the support. If the members of Region 2 grant me the privilege of being one of...
- December 20, 2021
It has been another year for the record books. Despite the difficulties, all OPSEU/SEFPO members and staff can be proud of our work these past twelve months. We have kept this province functioning as it struggled to emerge from the pandemic – and we are not done yet. We have overcome many challenges and we...
- October 14, 2021
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...
- August 24, 2021
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...
- July 14, 2021
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...
- June 24, 2021
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...