The Death of a Dream
I like some of things about the U.S.A., but a lot of what they do doesn't fit my values. This tension arose last during the attempt by the city of Detroit to declare bankruptcy. I shook my head at the finger pointing that followed.It would be ...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe future of good, full-time jobs is on the line
Dear friends,Now that 8,000 college support staff are on strike, a lot of commentators will blame the workers. This is the standard response from right-wing pundits, politicians, and news outlets. Facts don't matter for these folks. As far as they'...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe Ground is Always Shifting
At first, we didn't know what to call it even though we could feel it. We had a growing sense that something wasn't right. Things that mattered to Ontarians stopped being fair. Money and power began to outweigh the quality of peoples' ...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe new “government” of corporate elite
The power of the stock market has now surpassed the power of nation states. Governments, once guided by democracy, are under the influence of this new “privelegocracy”. Ballots have been replaced by bailouts.Italy and Greece are nation ...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe only thing we have to fear is fear itself
These words, from the inaugural address of Democratic President and New Deal architect Franklin Delano Roosevelt, were as true then as they are now. Almost 80 years later, fear is the motivator used by the corporate elite.Think about it. We continu...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe Social Mapping Project
I'm pleased to report to you about OPSEU's Social Mapping Project.This unprecedented initiative involves the completion of a social map of our membership and our staff. Essentially, that means your union is about to reach out to you like never be...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe Times – They Are a Changing!
September 6, 2012 will go down in history as a turning point in Ontario politics. It also marks a turning point for the movement to defend working people and the middle class from relentless right wing attacks. We promised this change and delivered b...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThe wage freeze: a Labour Day response
Dear friends,Every year, some bad boss reminds me why Labour Day matters.In 2010, a company from Brazil stripped pension rights from nickel miners in Sudbury. Billionaire Galen Weston told 30,000 Ontario grocery clerks to eat a 25 per cent pay cu...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETheir fight is our fight
A thousand OPSEU members march on Queen's Park, joining thousands more autoworkers and retirees rallying to preserve pensions.A few days later, thousands of people from all over attend a rally to protect our rural hospitals from layoffs and closure...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREThere’s a price attached to building a better Ontario
Dear friends,Since his untimely death, many have written about the legacy left to Canadians by Jack Layton. His final letter summarized his enduring gift to Canada, a country he cherished and loved. In it he proposed that we “build a prospero...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETime for some sunshine!
Sunshine. It is essential to life. It warms and nurtures! It brightens our days. At least it does when it is not placed ahead of the word "list."The Harris Tories, by passing the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, created "the suns...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETime to Place our Bets
For those that don't support a financial transaction tax and think that a free market economy is the key to prosperity, I point to the San Francisco-based hedge fund Hyphen Partners Ltd.Hyphen Partners Ltd. is planning on making a bundle by betting...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETime to start “rebalancing” the wealth
Dear friends, Recently, news outlets reported that Canada's top oil-sands company made over a billion dollars in profits in the first three months of 2011. I'm sure we can all acknowledge that they are doing quite well for themselves. At that rate,...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETo our activists and Board members: Thanks for a thankless task
We have successfully reached new agreements for members in the Ontario Public Service and Corrections, capping a very busy two years. We couldn't have accomplished this without the dedication of all our elected local representatives and your provinci...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETruth and Consequences: Finding the path ahead in 2012
It has been a hot summer. The provincial government that had proclaimed itself to be a peace-maker, attacked working people and the middle class. It seemed that Right Wing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had moved to Ontario.In past months I set ou...
March 21, 2014SEE MORETruth, deception and Ontario’s bi-elections
In true Liberal style, Dalton McGuinty has back-pedaled.Just days ago, when asked to comment on Greg Sorbara's sudden retirement as an MPP, the Premier spoke about calling byelections in the ridings of Vaughan and Kitchener-Waterloo, and stated: &l...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREUnions united are getting results
Dear sisters and brothers:A few days ago, Premier Dalton McGuinty told a group of Ontario road builders that now is not the time to be cutting back on public spending.“If banks are reluctant to lend and the private sector is not doing that ...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREUnited we stand: by-elections show us the power of politics
The recent by-elections saw Ontarians reject Progressive Conservative proposals for austerity, reduced services and the introduction of American style labour laws. Four out of five ridings rejected the PCs. Their one win came in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. ...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREVideoconferencing – A greener way to bring us together
On September 8th, OPSEU's Executive Committee made history by conducting their very first meeting via videoconferencing. This is a large and important first step for our union, one that will reap benefits far into the future.We're a traditional lot...
March 21, 2014SEE MOREVoting for the kind of Ontario we want
Greetings FriendsThe recent state funeral held for Jack Layton was a powerful rallying call for renewed hope and optimism. This message comes just as the writ will be dropped and campaigning begins in earnest for the upcoming Ontario general electi...
March 21, 2014SEE MORE