The residential and personal support workers, case managers, homeless outreach workers, amongst many others at Fife House Foundation, a Toronto non-profit dedicated to helping people living with HIV/AIDs, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining OPSEU/SEFPO.
“The invaluable work being done at the Fife House Foundation is near to my heart,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. “Some of my earliest work for social change was fighting for the right of people living with HIV/AIDS to live a life with dignity. I feel very proud that the workers at Fife House, who provide incredibly important support and care, have decided to join OPSEU/SEFPO. Welcome home.”
“For workers like those at Fife House, joining a union isn’t just about helping themselves – it’s about helping the people who depend on them,” said Coleen Houlder, the Regional Vice-President of OPSEU/SEFPO Region 5. “As a union, we recognize how social change is interwoven into our working and personal lives and I am excited to rise with you to face the challenges ahead.”
The new Fife House members will join thousands of other OPSEU/SEFPO members working in the Community Agencies sector (OPSEU/SEFPO Sector 5). Late last year, the supportive housing workers at Toronto’s Fred Victor Centre also joined OPSEU/SEFPO.
“Community agencies like Fife House and Fred Victor have been too squeezed for too long,” said Laurie Nancekivell, First-Vice President/Treasurer of OPSEU/SEFPO. “By joining a union, our newest members will have the strength and solidarity to achieve the working conditions they need to do their vital work.”