Together To Win

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida are demanding that the Ford government abandon the secret tax cuts discovered by the province’s Financial Accountability Officer (FAO). “These secret tax cuts will hurt each and every person in the province,” said Thomas. “If you need health care, you’ll be hurt. If you...

Toronto – OPSEU’s First Vice-President/Treasurer is going to Queen’s Park on Monday to put the Ford government on notice its legislation to trample the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers could be yet another expensive boondoggle. “Climate change. Hallway health care. The gender pay gap. The high cost of housing and record levels of...

OPSEU members helped mark the Ford government’s return to work Monday after a five-month break by leading and participating in Ontario Federation of Labour rallies in communities across the province. OPSEU members took part in a unique march in Toronto that circled Queen’s Park for hours, earning lots of public and media attention. The action...

Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says there’s nothing smart about Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy’s “Smart Initiative” to privatize more public services. “If the Tories are looking for a truly smart initiative, I’ve got one for them: dump Ford and find a leader who actually cares about something other than boosting his backers...

World Mental Health Day was a day of action for OPSEU members who toured northern Ontario to raise funds and awareness of the peer support groups Boots on the Ground and Badge of Life Canada. Last week, OPSEU members in Region 6 embarked on the second leg of the “Peers Need Peers” fundraising barbecue tour...

OPSEU member Mike Lundy was the featured guest on local Sault Ste. Marie television program “ONN Point with Andy Martens” on ONNtv Tuesday. Lundy was on the half-hour current affairs program to promote the next leg of the “Peers Need Peers” fundraising barbecue tour in support of the non-profit groups Boots on the Ground and...

“At LCBOs across Toronto Saturday, booze buyers were asked to put down the paper bag – and protest the privatization of alcohol sales,” CTV News is reporting. “When shoppers buy at the LCBO, the revenue generated comes back to the government of Ontario for healthcare, education, and transit,” Kingsley Kwok, OPSEU executive board member, told...

Hornepayne – The municipal council of Hornepayne, a township north of Wawa, has joined with OPSEU in demanding that the LCBO abandon its irresponsible plan to privatize alcohol sales in the community. “I’m not the least bit surprised the people of Hornepayne are outraged over this terrible scheme,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Closing...

The Toronto Star is reporting on the court challenge being launched by the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) against one of the Ford government’s many cuts to social assistance “The cut to social assistance for children will mean no money for their necessities such as food, clothing or diapers and will have a devastating impact...

St. Thomas – LCBO workers will be holding an information picket outside the constituency office of MPP Jeff Yurek Friday from 2 pm to 4 pm to remind the government and the public of the dangers involved with privatizing alcohol sales. “We all lose when the government allows grocery stores, convenience stores, and ‘LCBO Convenience...

Toronto – As the cannabis criminal market continues to thrive across the province, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is demanding that the Ford government allow the LCBO to compete for new cannabis-store licenses. “The private sector has had more than a year to set up the legal cannabis system, but has failed us at every...

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas has written an op-ed for The Toronto Sun about the vitally important role unions continue to play in a world dominated by big corporations and the politicians they finance. You can read it online and add your comments here. And this is the text in full: Unions here for workers, not...