Amanda Usher – OPS Unified Bargaining Team Chair (CERC Chair)
Amanda Usher is an Ambulance Communications Officer (ACO) with over 18 years of experience, including 8 years as a fixed-term contract employee.
Amanda has achieved remarkable milestones that have made her a proud OPSEU/SEFPO member and activist. Currently serving as the elected OPS CERC Chair, Amanda has held various leadership roles such as; Local President, LERC Co-Chair, MOHLTC MERC Chair, Dispatch Director, and Region 3 Representative on the 2021 Unified Bargaining Team.
Amanda also served as Vice Chair on the Wage-Reopener Bargaining team and currently serves as your elected 2024 OPS Unified Bargaining Team Chair.
Leslie Aiston – OPS Unified Bargaining Team Vice-Chair and Administrative category team member
Leslie has been with the OPS for almost 30 years and is currently the MLITSD MERC Chair. Leslie is actually ‘2nd Generation OPSEU/SEFPO’, as her mother was a former member and her (step) father was OPSEU/SEFPO Staff.
Leslie has held various positions within OPSEU/SEFPO, such as; Local President for approximately 6 years, Treasurer of OPSEU/SEFPO Ottawa Area Council for 8 years and was the Region 4 representative on the 2021 OPS Unified Bargaining Team and Reopener.
In Leslie has been married for over 25 years, has 2 grown children, loves camping in her tear-drop trailer (aka “glamping”) and can often be found crocheting.
Leslie is looking forward to working with this new Bargaining Team and fighting for a contract that members deserve.
Philip Wilson – Administrative category team member
Philip Wilson is a large mammal biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Philip lives in the rural community of Geraldton, where outdoor activities are the lifeblood of the community. Phil is the 1st Vice President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 704 and has been an engaged and aware member since 2016.
Teresa Stevens – Office Administration category team member
Teresa Stevens has been a member of OPSEU/SEFPO since 1990. After a 30-year career at MAG/CSD, she transitioned to MPBSD/Service Ontario, a radical move to an unfamiliar business area.
Despite the challenges that came with it, she embraced the change and accepted lead roles in supporting members, thus earning their trust. Teresa is passionate about worker rights and has demonstrated proven relationship-building skills in difficult climates. She uses her natural leadership qualities to reduce tension, making her a vital team member.
Farhad Rahaman – Office Administration category team member
Farhad Rahaman is the Vice President of Local 526 (Court Services), servicing roughly 1400 members. Farhad is also the former President of his local.
Farhad is a member of the MERC team and has been the acting Co-Chair for LERC for the last 5 years. Farhad is also the Co-Chair of his local Joint Health and Safety Committee.
Farhad has been quite active as a steward for nearly 15 years and has been employed with the Ministry of the Attorney General for coming on 27 years. Farhad is passionate about wanting to make changes for members as a whole. Farhad is excited about his role as a bargaining team member and is hopeful that he can contribute to making positive changes with the Bargaining Team.
Holly Sullivan – Institutional Health category team member
Holly Sullivan joined the OPS in 2014, and has worked as an Ambulance Communications Officer for 9 years in Windsor, ON. Her first elected role was to the position of steward in 2016, and she has been a LERC and 2023-24 OPS re-opener bargaining team member. Currently she sits on the MOH, MERC and her JHSC, serves as the Local 154 President and Region 1 Francophone Committee Representative.
Holly lives in Chatham-Kent in a rural farming community with her husband and fur baby. Holly enjoys sports and has a passion for the Toronto Maple Leafs. She hopes to help create the most mobilized OPS Unified team in OPSEU-SEFPO history, to successfully achieve significant meaningful gains and improvements for all OPS Unified members.
Chris Eckert – Technical/Operations/Maintenance category team member
Chris Eckert is your CERC Vice-Chair. Chris has been with the OPS for 17 years. Chris works for the Ontario Clean Water Agency and has held the MERC Chair position for the last 10 years. Chris Eckert has been President of Local 584 for over 15 years and was the Chair of the JHSC (Joint Health & Safety Committee) for 16 years.
In the round of bargaining in 2015, Chris was a mobilizer and part of the flying squad, to get the government back to the table, along with supporting other members that were on strike at the time. Chris was on the 2021 OPS Unified Bargaining Team and was also part of the OPSEU/SEFPO Team delivering training for MERCs and LERCs, and has become a certified instructor for the Workers Health & Safety Centre through OPSEU/SEFPO.
Chris Eckert continues to learn about the ongoing issues our members face and is focused on working together to make the workplace better for everyone in it.
Loretta Clark – Region 1 representative team member
Loretta Clark is a proud member of Region 1 and feels very lucky to have “joined the Best Bargaining Team Ever.” Loretta has been with Court Services Division for 12 years, and has been the OPS Unified MAG, MERC Chair for 4 years. Loretta is OPSEU/SEFPO Local 123 President and often attends District and Area Labour Council meetings.
Loretta is most proud of her work with MERC; through covid, a provincial competition and a reclassification, Loretta has learned so much.
In Loretta’s spare time (who’s kidding, there is none) she has two cats, a house, and friends that she adores. Loretta loves the beach in the summer, loves her time in Toronto, and finding new adventures.
Michele Morrison – Region 2 representative team member
Michele Morrison is the President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 222. Michele has spent her OPS Unified career within MCCSS in the social assistance division. Michele is honoured to be the newly elected Region 2 Bargaining Delegate and was previously on the Wage Reopener Bargaining Team after being called up from an alternate position for Region 2.
Michele joins the team with strong communication and organizational skills and has a passion for research. Michele is never without a knitting project and always has snacks to share.
Michele is looking forward to working on the Bargaining Team with a talented group of OPS Unified members.
Grace Grieve – Region 3 representative team member
Grace Grieve has had a 20 year career in the OPS as an Ambulance Communications Officer (ACO1) at the Oshawa Central Ambulance Communications Centre. Within those years, she has also held temporary positions as ACO2 for over two years and another two years as an Ambulance Inspector. She has been on the Ambulance Service Review Team since 2011.
Grace is the Treasurer / Union Steward for OPSEU/SEFPO Local 302 and sits on her workplace LERC and JHSC.
Most recently, she is making an impact on the MOH MERC. She jumped into action with the union for the 2021 OPS Unified Bargaining Team as the IHC Representative and continued with the team for the 2024 Wage Re-opener Bargaining.
Grace is looking forward to negotiating with the employer this round of bargaining to get fair wages, increased benefits, and true work-life balance. She endeavours to represent everyone at the bargaining table, having known what it is like to be a precarious, fixed term employee. Grace believes that all deserve a safe and healthy workplace.
Grace still tries to play sports she played well in high school, without the same result. She enjoys spending her time with her two grown boys David (Viola), John and one daughter-in-law. She is happy to take her dog Chip on long walks, loving the outdoors almost as much as she loves photographing God’s creation.
Daryl O’Grady – Region 4 representative team member
Daryl O’Grady has worked for the Provincial Demonstration Schools Branch in the OPS for over 22 years. He is currently a member of the CERC serving his second term on this committee. Daryl has been the EDU MERC Chair for the past 12 years as well as, the President of his local for the past 14 years. Daryl was the region 4 OPS bargaining representative in the 2012 round of bargaining, and most recently was on the wage reopener team as a member of the CERC. Daryl was a mobilizer in the 2008 and 2014 round of bargaining.
In Daryl’s personal life, he is married to a wonderful woman and enjoys travelling, spending time at their home on the lake and enjoying the summer sunsets. In his leisure time he spends his days; hiking, boating, fishing, and teeing it up on the links.
Daryl is looking forward to working with the new bargaining team and using his experiences to negotiate a fair contract from this employer, which includes wage increases and improvements to benefits that every member demands and deserves for themselves and their families.
Ram Selvarajah – Region 5 representative team member
Ram Selvarajah is the President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 524.Ram is Co-Chair of the SolGen MERC and a Trustee with the OPTrust Pension Plan.
Ram has been with the OPS since 1999 having started his career on a 3-month contract. Ram is a Sr. Systems Analyst with the Justice Cluster, serving the Ministries of the Solicitor General and the Attorney General. He has worked on several portfolios including Corrections, Emergency Management Ontario, and the Criminal Law division of the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Jamie Tynan-Byrd-Owen – Region 6 representative team member
Jamie has been an OPS Unified member since 2016, working at Service Ontario in Elliot Lake.
Jamie is the president of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 604, vice-chair of the Sault Ste Marie and District Area Council and the Region 6 Representative on the Bargaining Team.
She recently completed a Membership Development Trainee assignment with OPSEU/SEFPO where she trained as a Staff Representative out of the Sault Ste Marie office. This is where Jamie realized her passion for bargaining and she is looking forward to working with the other OPS Unified team members to bargain our next Collective Agreement.
Mark Belanger – Region 7 representative team member
Mark has worked for the Ontario Public Service since 1982. Mark has worked 21 years in seasonal/precarious work, primarily for the Aviation Forest Fires and Emergency Services (AFFES).
Mark also worked 14 years as an “A” Salary employee of AFFES as a RT3 Fire Management Technician in both Cochrane and Thunder Bay.
Mark is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran with foreign and domestic deployments and continues to serve as a Canadian Ranger.
Mark became active in the Union in 2010 and has been a Steward for 2 years, a Vice President for 2 years and a President of his OPSEU/SEFPO Local 713 for 10 years.
Caitlyn Acheson – Bargaining Member Region 4
Ministry: St. Lawrence Parks Commission
Job: Cleaner