In a letter to Unifor National President Jerry Dias, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas offers congratulations and thanks for the historic tentative agreement Unifor’s bargaining team has reached with Ford Motors.
“Talk about bargaining at its best,” wrote Thomas. “You’ve done the trade union movement proud. And you’ve done Canada right.”
Here’s the full text of the letter:
September 22, 2020
Jerry Dias
Unifor National President
Unifor
205 Placer Court
Toronto, ON
M2H 3H9
president@unifor.orgDear Jerry,
On behalf of all 170,000 members of our great public sector union, I’d like to offer hearty congratulations to you and the members of your great private sector union for the historic tentative agreement you’ve reached with the Ford Motor Company.
Talk about bargaining at its best.
Not only did you and the bargaining team achieve good wages, excellent benefits, and long-term job security for more than 6,000 hard-working Ontarians, you were also able to set the stage for the possibility of new jobs in the future.
That’s great news for your current and future members.
But this deal isn’t just good for autoworkers – it’s good for every single Canadian.
With solidarity, resolve, and skilled lobbying, you and your union succeeded in encouraging the federal government to invest in the green economy and a sustainable future for all.
So again, congratulations to you, the bargaining team, and every single Unifor member.
You’ve done the trade union movement proud. And you’ve done Canada right.
In solidarity,
Warren (Smokey) Thomas
President, Ontario Public Service Employees Union