Fixed Term & Seasonal Working Group
The OPS Unified Bargaining Team is pleased to announce that May 1, 2026, kicked off Fixed Term Fridays! This is a call to action for all fixed term and seasonal workers. Fixed term work and seasonal work is foundational to the operation of the Ontario Public Service, comprising over 46% of our OPS Unified membership! Join OPS Unified members across the province in wearing red every Friday as we support our fixed term and seasonal colleagues!
The Fixed Term & Seasonal working group held it’s first all members meetings on April 21, 2026. These meetings will be held monthly moving forward, and all members will receive a reminder – look to your inbox for the next date in May! These meetings are a perfect place to come together with fellow members and work to identify bargaining needs.
Get visible!
Send us your FXT Friday photos! Let us know what your locals are doing this summer – we want to share how OPS Unified members are showing their solidarity! Invite new members, Local Presidents and VPs, secretaries, treasurers, equity officers, LERC members and everyone who wants to have a voice and be in a picture so we can show how we are unified!
Our Social Media committee will be looking out for member photos in our ACG (Area Coordinating Group) Signal Chats on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
Please join us in wearing red on Fridays, take photos and share your solidarity! Use the hashtag #FXTFridays and tag us on Instagram and Facebook.
Get in touch with your Ministry Employee Relations Committee – MERC!
Are there concerns specific to your workplace or Ministry that need to be flagged? OPS Unified has structures in place to ensure your voices are heard and your concerns are addressed.
Your Local Employee Relations Committee (LERC) is a group of members working to address concerns in individual locals. When members bring concerns to LERC tables, they are added directly to minutes which can then be forwarded to your MERC team.
Each government ministry and agency has a MERC team that works to raise issues for that ministry. When you raise the concerns from your workplace to them, you ensure your voice is being heard in your ministry and beyond. You can find your ministries MERC team here!
If you have any questions regarding this process, please reach out to your Local President for help.
Ontario Labour Relations Board hearing RALLY May 26 2026
On May 26, 2026, OPSEU/SEFPO OPS Unified members across the province are holding rallies to fight back against the government’s Return-To-Office mandate, a unilateral change to working conditions made while we are in bargaining. The OPS Unified CERC (Central Employee Relations Committee) will be heading into arbitration at the OLRB to stand up for the protection of workers’ rights, arguing that this mandate was a violation of the freeze provision as outlined in Section 86(1) of the Labour Relations Act. We hope that members across the province can find a local action to participate in so we can send a clear message that workers deserve stability and fairness during bargaining.
A Welcome to OPS Unified’s newest bargaining team member!
The Bargaining Team would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest member, Shawn Burr, who has joined the team as the CERC Designee.
Read his bio below!
Hello, my name is Shawn Burr and I’m honoured to represent our Unified members on the Bargaining Team. I believe in a strong labour movement and an engaged membership. I have worked in the OPS for over 20 years in various roles at a few different ministries, but for the last 15 years my feet have been planted within the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. For the last 12 years I have been a representative on the Ministry’s ERC, including the last 8 as the Union Chair. I was a member of your bargaining team as we bargained under Bill 124. I serve as the Chair for the Joint Employment Stability Subcommittee (JESS) as well as a member on the Special Cases Committee, and lastly as a Trustee for Local 729. In my free time you can find me coaching on the ball diamond, or at the hockey rink, or fishing some of the best lakes northwestern Ontario has to offer.
Join Us for Table Talk Thursdays!
American Sign Language (ASL) Provided at Monthly Table Talks!
Did you know that monthly table talks are offered in ASL? Having interpreters at these meetings ensures that members needing ASL interpretation are able to get bargaining updates from the team and have their questions answered.
Making union spaces accessible is a core value of the labour movement. OPS Unified and OPSEU/SEFPO are proud to offer this service to members so they can be informed and empowered in our fight for a fair contract.
WHO: Your OPS Unified bargaining team invites all Unified members to join Table Talk Thursdays.
WHAT: Table Talk Thursdays are monthly Zoom sessions where the bargaining team shares updates, answers questions, and provides insight into ongoing negotiations and union activities.
WHERE: It happens over ZOOM.
WHEN: This happens every third Thursday of the month from 7 pm to 8 pm EST (6 pm CST). The next session will be May 21, 2026 at 7 pm ET.
WHY: To keep the lines of communication open and ensure members have direct access to their bargaining team!