OPSEU members from across Ontario’s education sector attended the first-ever School Board Bargaining Conference held in Toronto on March 28, 2019.
“With the Ford government’s recent cuts to education funding, this won’t be an easy round of bargaining,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “But OPSEU will be there for you, our communities, parents and students; we are together to win.”
President Thomas was joined by Kelly Martin, Chair of OPSEU’s Boards of Education and Cultural Institutions Sector Executive in welcoming the delegates and committing to continue to fight for their interests at the bargaining table and beyond.
“It’s appalling that the government has proposed cuts to public education funding,” said Martin. “They want to balance the budget on the backs of students, but we won’t let it happen. If the Ford government won’t back down, they can expect a fierce fight from education workers.”
The conference focused on central demands for bargaining, the current political climate, sectoral research, campaigns and communication strategies.
OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, congratulated the sector on a successful first bargaining conference.
“We’re looking forward to working with our newly elected Ontario Council of Educational Workers’ bargaining team representatives Kelly Martin and Jason Barker,” said Almeida. “Our team is ready to face the challenges ahead and come out with a good contract for our education workers.”
