A total of nearly 20,000 OPS members took part in three OPS Bargaining Teletown Hall meetings held February 18-19.
Calls came in from across the province, with members asking questions, providing comments and strategies. OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas, 1st Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, Central/Unified Team Chair Roxanne Barnes and Corrections Team Chair Tom O’Neill responded to issues ranging from strike benefits, essential service negotiations and Ontario’s political landscape.
Many members were concerned about how long essential service negotiations would take, and how soon there may be a possible strike date. The callers were assured that while exact dates were not known, it may take several weeks or several months. Callers were also assured that they would continue to have benefits during a strike or lockout.
In one live poll question, 93 per cent of the callers responded that they didn’t believe the Premier when she said she believed in the collective bargaining process. Also, 70 per cent of the respondents indicated that they had participated in a workplace action, a number that President Thomas called “unprecedented.”
“I’ve been doing this since 1980, and never before have I seen this many members engaged and involved,” Thomas said. “It is simply astounding.”
“We are now changing the conversation in Ontario,” Thomas said. “People want accountability and transparency in government. By continually reminding the public about the Liberals’ waste of billions of taxpayer dollars and asking people ‘What could you do with 8.2?’ we are holding Premier Wynne’s feet to the fire.”
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You can listen to the calls here.
Call #1 – February 18, 8 p.m.
Call #2 – February 19, 12:30 p.m.
Call #3 – February 19, 8 p.m.