November 30, 2011

Effective December 1, 2011, OPSEU is the official bargaining representative for the staff of the Sarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid Society. This is the result of a merger of the Sarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid Society Staff Association (SLCASSA) with OPSEU. With this merger, our CAS Sector now has 78 new members who provide child protection services to the people of Ontario.

Members of SLCASSA voted 95 per cent in favour to merge with OPSEU. Lesley Allen, President of SLCASSA, said the deciding factor was the strength of OPSEU and the long-term benefits of belonging to a province-wide organization. “We looked at a number of different unions,” Allen said. “We chose OPSEU because it was the best fit for CAS workers.”

Jane Kaija, chair of OPSEU’s CAS Sector, says these newest members will benefit greatly belonging to our union. “OPSEU provides a wealth of resources, from research, negotiations, benefits, communications and education. These new members will have access to all of these services, and will also be able to liaise with our CAS members across the province to discuss solutions and strategies to common problems and work issues.”

OPSEU welcomes our newest members and thanks them for choosing our union.