Crisis in Corrections
News
OPSEU/SEFPO calls the Kenora Jail a ‘powder keg’
Kenora – OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says some special attention is urgently needed to bolster staffing at the overcrowded…
Province to build 2 new jails, upgrade 3 others in eastern Ontario
Ontario will build two new jails and upgrade three others as part of a major investment plan to modernize the…
OPSEU hails latest measures to fix Crisis in Corrections
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is applauding the Ford government for stepping up with more investment to address…
‘Build the new jail in Thunder Bay – right now’: OPSEU
Thunder Bay – In the wake of the Ontario Ombudsman’s scathing report on the state of Ontario corrections, the union…
New hires in Corrections a big step in the right direction: OPSEU
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the Ford government’s decision to hire hundreds of new Corrections staff is…
A Message To All Corrections Bargaining Unit Members:
Subject line: Update re Corrections and COVID-19 protections To All Corrections Bargaining Unit Members: We know that many of you…
OPSEU calls for a meeting to deal with the threat COVID-19 poses to Corrections
TORONTO – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas wants an immediate meeting with provincial government officials and the Chief Medical…
Corrections Cares helps out with Out Of The Cold
The volunteer efforts of OPSEU members Joy Wallace and Adele Whaul, who are Probation and Parole Officers, are the focus…
Corrections workers keep giving back to their communities
Toronto – For a third straight year, Ontario’s correctional staff members hosted Corrections Cares About Community Safety events across the…
Corrections cares about community safety - events listing
For the third year in a row, correctional workers across Ontario will give back to their communities. From their various…
Doug Ford must wake up and address the Crisis in Corrections now!
A statement from OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas on the Toronto South Detention Centre: The latest condemnation of the state…
OPSEU 'satisfied' with removal of permanent police presence at several jails
Toronto – Calling it a small but important step in addressing the “Crisis in Corrections,” OPSEU leaders are satisfied with…
OPSEU member successful in criminal case
OPSEU is pleased to report on the successful outcome of a criminal case involving two OPSEU members. In early 2014,…
OPSEU supports and promotes awareness for critical peer-to-peer support services
OPSEU member Mike Lundy was the featured guest on local Sault Ste. Marie television program “ONN Point with Andy Martens”…
Eliminating bailiffs 'just window-dressing': OPSEU
Toronto – The union representing 9,000 Ontario correctional workers is expressing concern over the Ford government’s decision to eliminate the…
New specialized correctional teams a ‘step in the right direction’: OPSEU President Thomas
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the Ford government is taking a step in the right direction by adding…
Table Talk
LockTalk: Arbitration meeting held
The Corrections Bargaining team met with the Employer and Arbitrator William Kaplan to try to resolve the outstanding issues that…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 50 – The arbitrator responds to the team
In Table Talk 49, your correctional bargaining team informed you that the employer had written to confirm their verbal position…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 49 – Team goes back to the arbitrator
In Table Talk 48, your correctional bargaining team informed you that the arbitrator had made a wage award for the…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 48 – Arbitrator awards wage increases
Arbitrator Kevin Burkett has awarded a three per cent special wage adjustment for correctional staff, commencing January 1, 2017. The…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 47 – Corrections contract: it’s up to the arbitrator now
In Table Talk 46, we informed you that your correctional bargaining team had met with the mediator/arbitrator on March 13,…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 46 – the parties head to arbitration
We informed you in Table Talk 45 that the union and the employer had agreed to a mediation/arbitration process to…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 45 – Government to investigate bargaining-related incidents
Your correctional bargaining team met again with the employer on February 4. At the meeting, the employer indicated they had significantly…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 44 – Lump sum to be paid out February 25
On February 25, all OPSEU members in the OPS will be paid the 1.4 per cent lump sum that was…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 43 – Corrections bargaining enters new world today
The collective agreement signed today at 4:20 a.m. between OPSEU and the Government of Ontario begins a new era in…
OPS Table Talk 2016 Issue 42 – Corrections bargaining: further mediation set for January 8-9
Further mediation with the employer will take place on January 8, continuing on January 9 if required. We remind you…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 41 - January 10 strike deadline expected in Corrections talks
OPSEU members in the Correctional Bargaining Unit can expect to be in a legal strike or lockout position on January…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 40 – Employer won’t bargain; corrections team asks for “no board” report
On the heels of an energized all-presidents’ meeting last night, your Corrections bargaining team brought a clear and unified message…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 39 – Union meets employer December 18
Employer representatives have agreed to a request from your Corrections bargaining team to return to the bargaining table. The next…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 38 – It’s decision time
It’s decision time for correctional workers in Ontario. On December 8 and 9, all members of the OPSEU Correctional Bargaining…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 37 -- Questions and Answers about the Tentative Agreement in the Correctional Bargaining Unit
In the days since your Corrections bargaining team signed a tentative collective agreement with our employer on November 23, the…
OPS Table Talk 2015 Issue 36 – Members given options for ratification vote
The ratification vote on the recent tentative agreement will take place on Tuesday, December 8 and Wednesday, December 9 in…
Read the MoS
To download the final Memorandum of Settlement signed January 9, including items agreed to earlier, 
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President's Message
This crisis is bigger than Corrections
Dear friends: If you’ve seen the news lately, you know there’s a crisis in Corrections. In December, we saw fires,…
What OPSEU leaders are saying about the Corrections deal
1/3 videos
1
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President, OPSEU
2
Tom O’Neill, OPSEU Local 467, Chair, Corrections Bargaining Team
3
Monte Vieselmeyer, OPSEU Local 517, Chair, MCSCS Employee Relations Committee