Region 2 Political Action Conference

Applications are now being accepted for the OPSEU Region 2 Political Action Conference. This important event will be held in Mississauga on March 21-22.

Are you an OPSEU activist who believes we must organize and train now to be prepared for a potential 2014 provincial election? Do you want to ensure the right people are elected so that good jobs and our economy are protected?

OPSEU members’ participation in provincial politics will be more important than ever in the year ahead. Regional Political Action Conferences are being held in each of OPSEU’s seven regions. This is your chance to develop key skills that could lead to important campaign positions in the run up to the 2014 elections.

What: Region 2 Political Action Conference
Where: Delta Meadowvale, Mississauga
When: Friday March 21st (7-11pm) & Saturday March 22nd (9am-4pm)

Key Sessions:

• The Economic and Political Context for OPSEU members in 2014
• What’s Involved in Election Campaigning?
• Building Networks for Local Action
• Social Media in the Electoral Battleground

This special conference is designed to lay the foundation for participation in upcoming political campaigns by building skills, removing barriers, and developing plans for effective grassroots action in 2014.

Please download and complete the application form to be considered for this important conference.

Your Region 2 Board Members:
Eddie Almeida
Lucy Morton
Deb Tungatt, RVP

Harper trade deal would hit Ontario hard: CCPA

September 21, 2012 Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s plan for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union would cut manufacturing jobs, increase privatization pressures, and boost drug costs for Ontarians by $1.2 billion a year, a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says. “CETA would only intensify the present economic malaise in Ontario,” the report says. “CETA would leave much of the province’s economic future to chance and to the self-interested decisions of foreign investors.”

“We"ve long argued that provinces should be calling a halt to the negotiations until there has been a public debate about the wisdom of the deal,” commented Larry Brown, Secretary-Treasurer of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). “This report pulls back the veil of secrecy that has surrounded these talks and allows the public to see what"s at stake."

Download the full report here…

Support bill to ban use of temporary replacement workers in Ontario

Ontario needs a law banning the use of temporary replacements workers during a strike or lock out. After a year-long strike at Vale Inco in Sudbury, Ontario where temporary replacement workers were used, Ontario is ready for such a law.

In our Province, 97% of collective agreements are negotiated without work disruptions; and with regard to the remaining 3%, very few strikes or lock-outs involved the use of temporary replacement workers. However, sociological research has shown us that when replacement workers are used in labour disputes, the impact in the short and long term on the people and on the communities in which they reside can be devastating. Laws banning the use of temporary replacement workers also know as scabs, can also reduce the length and divisiveness of labour disputes.

A law banning the use of temporary replacement workers exists in Québec since 1978, and in British Columbia since 1993; successive governments in those two provinces have never repealed those laws. A similar law existed in Ontario from 1993 to 1996 and during that period of time, investments in Ontario increased.

NDP MPP France Gélinas, has a bill “banning temporary replacement workers” scheduled for a vote November 4th to pass legislation that would prevent employers from exploiting workers by using scabs during labour disputes.

To get involved with this campaign, contact Selina Clement Mikkola at [email protected] 

Sign petition to support NDP anti-scab bill