Precarious Work

Toronto – After years of calling on the provincial government to take action, OPSEU/SEFPO is pleased to see legislation to protect temp agency staff, saying it’s a step in the right direction toward fairness and justice for Ontario’s most vulnerable workers. The province has announced a new licensing regime, where temp agencies will be vetted,...

Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) will join a news conference at Queen’s Park today to demand that the province release the final report on of the Changing Workplaces Review, which was supposed to be available last fall. “We’ve waited long enough for change,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Precarious work is...

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is organizing a provincewide telephone town hall to update Ontario workers on provincial government plans for major reforms to the Ontario Labour Relations Act (OLRA) and the Employment Standards Act (ESA). The town hall will also provide news on the OFL’s “Make it Fair!” campaign to make both laws...

Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) joined the larger labour movement in welcoming the release of the Interim Report from the Government of Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review yesterday. “It’s no secret that many workers, especially those in precarious workplaces, are suffering,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “The needs of these workers...

Toronto – Thousands of part-time college support workers across Ontario have already voted in the largest organizing drive in Canadian history, with the final votes being cast today on Seneca, Fanshawe, Sault and Algonquin College campuses. The President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union congratulated the workers who voted, noting that their struggle “is...

Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is stepping up its fight against precarious work with a donation to the Urban Worker Project. OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida met Wednesday morning with Project co-founders Andrew Cash and Stephanie Nakitsas to present a $30,000 cheque from the union. Almeida, Nakitsas, Martin and Cash pose together...

The OPSEU CAAT Support Division (CAAT-S) has long recognized that college students carry an unfair burden of the costs of education in Ontario. That’s why, in 2015, CAAT-S locals raised $4,000 to create four student scholarships. Mike McKeown (right) congratulates winner Jody Clue for his testimonial Precarious Work Last year, the division put out notices...

Toronto – It should be just as easy for a woman to join a union as it is for a man, the President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said today. “Under Ontario law, the only workers who can unionize using the fastest and fairest method are the workers in the most male-dominated sector...

The Provincial Young Workers Committee (PYC) recently submitted a report, entitled "The Precarious Generation," to the Changing Workplaces Review Board of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.  The PYC report addresses the many barriers young workers face as they enter the labour market, such as wage disparity, underemployment and rising student debt.  The employment landscape in Ontario is changing and young workers find...

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has launched a province-wide review of the Ontario Labour Relations Act and the Employment Standards Act, the main provincial laws that govern the operation of unions and set basic standards for all workplaces, respectively. The Changing Workplaces Review is holding public consultations to discuss how the OLRA and the ESA...