Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida was elected to the OPSEU Executive Board in 2005. An OPSEU activist since 1995, Eddy also acted as steward for the Labourers Union as well as for Crane Operators in the Operating Engineers prior to his time with OPSEU.

In 1996 Eddy became the Health and Safety Chair for Local 248, and two years later was elected its Vice-President. He became Local President in 2000 and continued to build the local, eventually gathering over 50 active stewards out of the 350-member local.

Eddy went on to become a Provincial Health and Safety Representative for his Division from 1999 to 2006; worked on the Ministry Employee Relations Team from 2006 to 2010; and acted as Chair of the team from 2008 until 2010.

Born in Burlington, Ontario, Eddy was raised on the family farm. During his teenage years Burlington became urbanized, and the family thus decided to move to Flamborough where farmland was still available. It was on the farm that Eddy’s parents taught him the meaning of hard work, responsibility, integrity, and impressed upon him that every dollar earned is a dollar to be used wisely.

He has since participated in countless campaigns on behalf of OPSEU members and was an outspoken leader in Region 2 against the “social contract” imposed by Queen’s Park in 1993. Eddy helped carry this fight to the Harris government, a party that tried to break our union during the Ontario Public Service strikes of 1996 and 2002.

Brother Almeida lives in Hamilton and is married to his partner, Ali. He is the father of three children.