OPSEU welcomes its newest members
December 21, 2009 The workers that provide cleaning services at St. Lawrence College in Kingston voted last month and have chosen OPSEU as their union. They are employees of Sodexho Canada Ltd., which has the contract to provide janitorial services at the Kingston campus. The 31 staff members provide cleaning, custodial, and housekeeping services. They are a welcome addition to the full-time academic and support staff, members of OPSEU Locals 417 and 418, and work alongside these newest members at the Kingston campus located at 100 Portsmouth Road in Kingston.
November 3, 2009 In a vote held on October 28, 2009, the 60 employees of the Bruce Peninsula Association for Community Living voted to join OPSEU. "We are proud to welcome this group as a new addition to the more than 8,000 OPSEU members who work in the Developmental Services sector of our union," said Sue Walker Sector Chair. Developmental services workers provide professional care primarily to people with developmental or “intellectual” disabilities. The staff of this agency provides services in Bruce County and are primarily based out of Wiarton.
October 1, 2009 OPSEU is pleased to welcome our 76 newest members at Guelph Independent Living. In a vote held September 30, members voted in favour of joining OPSEU.
October 1, 2009 OPSEU welcomes our newest members at American Water Canada Corporation, Middlesex Centre. On August 19, 2009 these members joined our other members of American Water Corporation at Elgin, Local 115, and Grand Bend, Local 120. These members provide water treatment services in OPSEU Region 1.
July 20, 2009 OPSEU welcomes our newest members at Royal Ottawa Health Care Group – Child and Youth Counsellors in Ottawa. The vote took place July 16 with these members voting 100 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU. Once again, these members have proven that OPSEU is the union of choice.
Congratulations to Lead Organizer, Eileen Wesley. Heartfelt thanks go out to these members for their unanimous vote and their faith in OPSEU as their bargaining agent.
July
14,
2009
OPSEU
welcomes
its
newest
members
at
Homes
First
Society
in
Toronto.
Earlier
this
year,
Homes
First
Society
acquired
the
Scarborough
Hope
Centre.
The
sale
of
business
triggered
a
run-off
vote
between
the
long-time
OPSEU
members
at
Homes
First
and
employees
at
Scarborough
Hope
Centre,
represented
by
the
Christian
Labour
Association
of
Canada
(CLAC).
That
vote
took
place
on
July
14,
2009.
Workers
from
both
sites
voted
over
90
per
cent
in
favour
of
OPSEU,
proving
once
again
that
OPSEU
is
the
union
of
choice!
CLAC,
an
Alberta-based
group,
has
been
identified
by
the
Ontario
Federation
of
Labour
as
working
against
the
best
interests
of
working
people.
Special
thanks
go
to
OPSEU
Staff
Rep
Gwen
Jenkins,
the
executive
members
of
OPSEU
Local
540,
especially
unit
steward
Liz
Peterson
for
all
their
assistance
during
the
campaign.
April
9, 2009
Welcome
to our
newest
members
at
Canadian
Mental
Health
Association
(CMHA)
Lambton.
The vote
took
place on
April 8,
and this
is the
fourth
CMHA
OPSEU
has
organized.
Special
thanks
go to
Deb
Gordon
of Local
145 and
Tischa
Battram
of Local
154 for
all
their
hard
work.
April 1,
2009
OPSEU
welcomes our
newest
members at
Huron
House Boys'
Residential
Home
in Brights'
Grove, near
Sarnia. In a
ballot held
March 24,
employees
voted 75 per
cent in
favour of
joining
OPSEU.
Thanks go to
Brother Gino
Franche,
Executive
Board
Member;
Brother
Jonathan
Guider,
Sector
Chair, BPS
Corrections;
Brother
Steve Nield,
Region 1 & 2
Staff
Supervisor
(A); and
Sister Lois
Boggs, Staff
Organizer,
who worked
on this
drive.
March 4,
2009
OPSEU is
pleased to
welcome our
newest
members at
Northern
Ontario
School of
Medicine.
The 152
members
voted 75 per
cent in
favour of
joining
OPSEU at
votes held
March 3-4.
The new
bargaining
unit is
comprised of
office,
clerical,
technical,
and service
employees
working in
and out of
the Northern
Ontario
School of
Medicine.
Organizer
Gayle Lebans
worked very
closely with
OPSEU
members from
our faculty
unit at the
Northern
Ontario
School of
Medicine.
The faculty
as an
association
chose to
transfer
their
bargaining
rights and
merged with
OPSEU in
June of
2008.
Congratulations
to all who
worked on
the
campaign.
OPSEU is
once again
the union of
choice.
NOSM
Union News:
Special
Staff Union
Issue
more...
January 5,
2009 OPSEU
welcomes new
members who work
at the
Lee Manor Home
for the Aged
in Owen Sound
who voted to
join OPSEU on
Dec. 30.
The 170 workers
were formerly
represented by
the Christian
Labour
Association of
Canada (CLAC),
an Alberta-based
group that has
been identified
by the Ontario
Federation of
Labour as
working against
the best
interests of
working people.
OPSEU and other
OFL affiliates
have been active
in soliciting
CLAC members
across Ontario.
The successful
displacement
drive was
spearheaded by
organizer Lois
Boggs, assisted
by members Jill
McIllraith
Carolyn Elder,
Donna Van Eck
and OPSEU staff.
December 16,
2008 As a
result of a
merger with the
United
Employees
Association
on October 1st,
2008, OPSEU
welcomes 77 new
members based
out of Toronto.
This could not
have been
achieved without
the tireless
efforts of our
Organizing Unit
and the Local
Executive: Lil
Nobel
(President),
Shelly Rotman,
Debra Allan,
Ellen Drazner,
Donna Bernardo-Ceriz
and Clare Adam.
The members will
hold a meeting
to ratify their
first collective
agreement with
OPSEU in the
next few weeks.
Welcome to
OPSEU! We are
proud to have
your group as
our members.
November 24, 2008
OPSEU welcomes our 102
newest members at the
Canadian Mental
Health Association -
Cochrane Temiskaming
Branch. This
is an all-employee unit
in the District of
Cochrane, Temiskaming
and the City of
Temiskaming shores.
Special
thanks to Paul Jadot,
Maggie Wakeford and
Mary-Louise Noel for all
their assistance during
the organizing campaign.
November 7, 2008
OPSEU victorious at
Eastern Ontario
Regional Laboratory
Association.
OPSEU’s Organizing Team
welcomes the 800 members
of the Eastern Ontario
Regional Laboratory
Association (EORLA). The
vote took place from
November 4-6, and
workers overwhelmingly
voted to have OPSEU as
their union.
Organizers Leslie
Sanders, Ed Ogibowski,
Eileen Wesley and thank
the incredible group of
members who worked
throughout the campaign:
Bonnie Taillon and
Louise White from
Cornwall Community
Hospital; Robert Hickman
from Queensway-Carleton
Hospital; Ilda Paciocco
from The Ottawa
Hospital; and Pat
McNamara, Toronto East
General and Treasurer of
the Hospital
Professionals’ Division
Executive. Their
tireless efforts during
the campaign were key to
OPSEU’s victory.
September
25, 2008 Proving that
OPSEU is the union of choice
for Hospital Professionals,
the union is extremely proud
to welcome our 704 newest
members at the
Children's Hospital of
Eastern Ontario (CHEO),
in Ottawa.
Starting
with only 14 OPSEU
physiotherapists who
transferred into the
non-unionized facility of
nearly 700 health
professionals, OPSEU
organizers Leslie Sanders
and Eileen Wesley went to
extraordinary lengths to win
the vote held Sept. 24.
This huge
victory could not have been
achieved without all the
support and assistance
during the campaign. We want
to thank the former Ottawa
Children's Treatment Centre
physiotherapists at Local
484 affected by the
transfer, and members at
Local 464 (Ottawa Hospital)
for their tireless work. We
also recognize the many CHEO
staff who provided
invaluable help in getting
their colleagues out to
vote. Lastly, a very special
thanks to Local 484 member
Pelle Stenbring, one of the
transferring
physiotherapists, who went
above and beyond the call
and was instrumental in the
success of the drive.
We look
forward to working with the
newest members of OPSEU's
dynamic
Hospital Professionals
Division.
July 11, 2008
OPSEU welcomes its 51 newest
members at the
Frontenac County Childcare
Centre in Kingston.
OPSEU received 73 per cent of
the vote. Special thanks go to
inside committee members Dawn
Watt and Erin Provost for all
their hard work.
July 11, 2008
The Members of the
Northern Ontario School of
Medicine Faculty Association (NOSMFA)
officially joined
OPSEU on June 1, 2008. This
certified bargaining agent,
after careful examination of
various unions, chose to
transfer their bargaining rights
to OPSEU. The bargaining unit
includes a group of full-time,
non-physician faculty and
academics in related
disciplines.
The Northern
Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)
is a training institution unique
to Northern Ontario. It has two
main sites: Northeast (based in
Sudbury) and Northwest (based in
Thunder Bay). The School is
affiliated to Laurentian
University and Lakehead
University. It offers
undergraduate and post-graduate
academic programs and community
placements towards sustainable
and culturally relevant medical
practice and the health research
industry in the North.
They chose OPSEU
based on its services, history
of mobilizing and its clear
presence in the labour movement.
Our union provides a natural fit
for this group.
June 10, 2008
OPSEU welcomes our newest members at
Meaford Long
Term Care Centre. In a vote
held for the 85 employees on June 4, 73
per cent of those voting chose OPSEU.
Meaford joins our other Long Term Care
members in Sector 8.
May 29, 2008 All
developmental service employees at
Woodstock and
District Developmental Services
chose OPSEU as their union on May 27, 2008.
The 160 employees voted over 70 per cent in
favour of joining OPSEU. We thank the
five-person committee for all their hard
work and dedication - you all know who you
are, and you were awesome. A extend a warm
welcome to your OPSEU home, and good luck in
your first round of bargaining.
May 26, 2008 OPSEU
welcomes all Paramedical employees at
Hanover and District
Hospital. On May 7 the 22 full-time
and part-time employees voted 97 per cent in
favour of joining OPSEU’s Hospital Professionals
Division.
May 26, 2008 All
employees of Parents of
Technologically Dependent Children of Ontario
Kids Country Club In London now call
OPSEU home. On April 24, 2008 the 27 employees
voted 97 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU’s
developmental sector. We thank everyone on the
committee for their support and give them a warm
welcome.
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May 5, 2008 Employees at
Canadian Mental Health
Association, Elgin Branch are now members
of OPSEU. The 42 employees voted overwhelmingly in
favour of joining our union. |
Employees at Canadian Mental Health Association,
Elgin Branch |
“OPSEU warmly welcomes these new
members,” said organizer Lois Boggs. Tier 3 program
transfers are slated for divestment to this organization
in the near future. CMHA-Elgin Branch will soon be
receiving community programs and OPSEU members from St.
Joseph’s Mental Health.
As well, 40 employees at
CASATTA (Rexdale)
have been certified and are now members of OPSEU. They
join our Justice sector and Local 537 (York Detention
Centre) which is also operated by CASATTA.
March 3, 2008 Employees at
Casatta Limited, a youth
detention and custody facility in Toronto, are now members of
OPSEU. The 43 employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of
joining our union. OPSEU welcomes these members! They now join
the growing Corrections Sector of the Broader Public Service
within OPSEU.
February 26, 2008 Part-time employees at
Temiskaming Hospital are now
members of OPSEU. The 20 part-timer paramedical workers voted 79
per cent in favour of joining our union. A warm welcome to these
new OPSEU members! They now join the full-time unit -- members
of OPSEU Local 646 at the hospital -- in the OPSEU Hospital
Professionals Division.
February 20, 2008 OPSEU welcomes our
newest members at Carefor in
Ottawa. In a recent representation vote, the 30 paramedical
employees voted 100 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU. We
thank you for your support, and look forward to working with you
now and in the future. Welcome to OPSEU!
January 23, 2008 OPSEU welcomes our newest
members at Anago (Non) Residential
Resources Inc. in London. In a representation vote held
on January 21, 2008, the 108 developmental and youth service workers
voted 80 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU. We thank you for your
support, and look forward to working with you now and in the future.
January 18, 2008
OPSEU welcomes part-time employees at Stratford
Community Living. The 77 part-timers voted 92 per cent in
favour of joining OPSEU. They now join the 50 full-time OPSEU members at
Stratford Community Living, and the two groups will now work together
for a strong collective agreement.
January 18, 2008
OPSEU is pleased to announce that 62 employees of the
Diagnostic Imaging Department at
Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie
have now joined our union. In a vote held Oct. 25, 2007, members there
voted 86 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU.
 October 31, 2007 OPSEU is once again
proud to welcome our newest CCAC members. In a vote held Oct.
29-30, 230 North East CCAC
Office/Clerical/
Administration staff voted heavily in
favour of joining OPSEU. This group also includes all the direct
service providers (therapists, dietician, rehab assistants) in
18 work locations that span our entire Region 6. Also, as a
result of the vote, OPSEU is the only union in Ontario that
still represents direct service therapy staff at the CCACs.
Organizers Tracey Mussett and Lois Boggs thank
Local Team Members Laurie McLachlan & Peggy Richardson (OPSEU
Local 667 – North Bay) and Sylvie Brulé & Elyse Lebeau (OPSEU
Local 675 – Sudbury) for all of their hard work during this
campaign.
October 29, 2007 OPSEU welcomes the 63
Diagnostic Imaging Technologists employed by the
Royal Victoria Hospital in
Barrie. The vote was held on Thursday, October 25 and employees
there voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining OPSEU.
October 1, 2007 OPSEU is proud to welcome 208
new members working for the Western Area
Youth Services (WAYS) to our union. The members voted on
Sept. 26 to join OPSEU.
WAYS is now the largest service for youth in
South-Western Ontario, since its merger with Community Homes Ltd (CHL).
It operates in four locations in Region 1: Sarnia, Forest, London
and Chatham.
August 24, 2007 OPSEU is proud to welcome its
newest members at Elmira and District Community
Living. On Aug. 23, about 140 full-time and part-time staff
voted 81 per cent to join OPSEU. These new members were inspired by
OPSEU’s willingness to step up and make sacrifices for fairness and for
quality services. To view photos of the organizing drive at
Elmira and District Association for Community Living
Click here
August 9, 2007 OPSEU is proud to welcome 40 new members at the
Canadian Mental Health Association, Oxford Branch.
OPSEU was certified as the bargaining agent July 5 after a vote in
which 78 per cent of the members voted to join OPSEU. Our union looks
forward to representing these new members.
 View
photos of CCAC organizing drive
August 3, 2007 OPSEU
is proud to welcome the
Professional Employees at the newly-formed Champlain CCAC.
The
CCAC spans the area from Pembroke to Cornwall, including Renfrew,
Ottawa, Smiths Falls and Casselman. The run-off vote held Thursday,
August 2, was between OPSEU and CIPP after a vote last week between
OPSEU, CIPP and ONA.
Lois Boggs, Sector Chair for Community Health Care
Professionals, thanks all the members for their patience during this
long campaign. “The members received a lot information in a very short
time, and were faced with some difficult decisions. We are glad to
welcome them to our sector, and thank ONA and CIPP for their campaigns.”
We especially thank OPSEU members Louise Mulligan-Roy,
Sophie Racine-Sigman, Shelley Hickson, and Chantal Barr for their
tireless work during this campaign. We look forward to representing them
and the other 380 members of one of the largest CCAC Professional units
in Ontario.
August 3, 2007 OPSEU welcomes 34 new members at
the Oakville March of Dimes. The vote was
84 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU.
July 23, 2007 OPSEU welcomes to our union the Office and Clerical
employees of St. John's Rehabilitation Hospital in
Toronto. Our newest members voted 98 per cent in favour of joining OPSEU in a
vote held July 18, 2007
June 26. 2007 On behalf of all OPSEU members, President Warren (Smokey)
Thomas welcomes all bargaining unit employees of Elliot
Lake Women's Group, Inc in the District of Algoma. In a vote held June
20, members voted overwhelmingly in favour of making OPSEU their union of
choice. Many thanks go to the organizers involved, as well as the local staff
representative who participated in the campaign.
June 5, 2007 All Literacy and Basic Skills Instructors
and Basic Skills Assessors at the Peel District
School Board voted to become members of OPSEU. 100 per cent of the
ballots cast were in favour of joining OPSEU. In addition, OPSEU already
represents all of the ESL Instructors at the Peel District School Board in Local
283.
May 29, 2007 More members have joined OPSEU in the
Developmental Services sector. The part-time staff at
Gananoque & District Association for Community Living (GDACL)
voted unanimously to be represented by OPSEU. “They are a welcome
addition to OPSEU,” says OPSEU Local 433 President Peggy MacDonald. “The new
members are anxious to begin first contract negotiations that will coincide
nicely with the negotiations that have already begun for the full time OPSEU
unit at GDACL.”
May 22, 2007 The only group of non-union employees at
Mini Skool “A Child’s Place” Inc. voted in favour of joining OPSEU. This
group of part-time workers will now join the other OPSEU members who work at
Mini Skools that are currently members of OPSEU Local 588.
May 15, 2007 The employees of the
Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto have chosen OPSEU as their union. The
results of the vote were 99 per cent in favour of certification with OPSEU.
May 10, 2007 The employees of
Nipissing Mental Health Housing and Support Services unanimously voted in
favour of joining OPSEU. This agency is slated to receive Tier 3 divested
services from the North East Mental Health Centre located in North Bay. Tony
Morabito, Chair of OPSEU’s Mental Health Division, was instrumental in assisting
this group with their efforts to get organized.
May 2,
2007
Hamilton CCAC workers join OPSEU Office and Clerical
employees of the Hamilton,
Niagara, Haldimand, Brant
Community Care Access Centre
celebrated Monday when they
voted in favour of joining the
Ontario Public Service Employees
Union. The vote, held Monday,
April 30, 2007, was a result of
a CCAC merger caused by the
province’s legislation on Local
Health Integration Networks (LHINs).
“This is a great day for these
employees,” said Warren (Smokey)
Thomas, President of the Ontario
Public Service Employees Union.
“We welcome these members into
the OPSEU family, and look
forward to representing them in
their workplaces.” The run-off
vote was held between OPSEU, the
Ontario Nurses Association and
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees. “We thank our members
and staff who worked on this
campaign,” Thomas said. “It was
their tireless efforts and
dedication that made this such a
success.”
March, 2007 York University English Language
Institute Casual Instructors joined OPSEU. They are a welcome addition to
the full time group of instructors that OPSEU represents in Local 578 at York
University in Toronto.
January 29, 2007
Health
Professionals at London Health Sciences Centre
voted
an overwhelming 84 per cent to join OPSEU in a vote
held mid-January. Special thanks go to the member
activists of our Hospital Professionals Division who
were instrumental in the success of this campaign:
Leslie Sanders, President of Local 348 and
Organizing MDT; Sandi Blancher, President of Local
106; and Lara Kiedyk Fraser, Vice-President of Local
106. We also wish to thank the OPSEU Region 1
Executive Board Members for their support.
December 12, 2006 The 60 plus employees of
Community Living Campbellford/Brighton voted in
favour of OPSEU as their union. This group provides support services to people
with intellectual disabilities and their families. They are very happy to join
the over 7,000 OPSEU members that work in the Developmental Services sector in
the Province of Ontario.
October 13, 2006 The cleaning staff at
the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario
recently switched employers when Housekeepers of Canada
Inc. lost the contract for the cleaning of the facility.
There are no successor rights in this industry. The
employees chose to re-organize with OPSEU to deal with
the new contractor, Omni Facility Services Canada Inc.
October 10, 2006
The previously excluded
professional engineers at the Ottawa Hospital have
now become OPSEU members in the larger paramedical
bargaining unit of OPSEU Local 464.
October 5, 2006 Employees of Aberdeen
Gardens Retirement Residence chose OPSEU as their
bargaining agent. They are the newest addition to the
OPSEU Long Term Care Facilities Sector. The facility is
located in the City of Hamilton.
October 3, 2006 In a vote held at the
Ottawa-Carlton Catholic School Board (ESL Outreach
Program), 100 per cent of the English as a Second
Language Program and Literacy & Basic Skills instructors
voted in favour of OPSEU as their union.
August 4, 2006 After a lengthy and
hard-fought campaign, OPSEU was certified as the
bargaining agent for the 243 employees of the Canadian Blood Services’ (CBS) National Contact
Centre in Sudbury. The workers handle calls from clients
across Canada, and play a vital role in the country’s
blood donation system. They are a welcome addition to
the approximately 1000 OPSEU members who currently work
for CBS in numerous locations across Ontario.
July 27, 2006 Members of the
Facilities Bargaining Unit at the
Ontario Science Centre remain OPSEU members thanks to
a Voluntary Recognition Agreement reached with Hurley
Corporation. Congratulations!
July 5, 2006 OPSEU
members working in food services at the Ontario Science
Centre lost OPSEU as their union when Aramark Foods was
replaced by Compass Group Canada (Beaver) Ltd. In
a vote held on June 29, 100 per cent of voters chose
to keep OPSEU as their union. We welcome these members back
to OPSEU, and look forward to working with them again.
June 26, 2006 As a result
of the merger of the Regional Cancer Care Centre and
the Kingston General Hospital, OPSEU Locals 444 and 450
welcome 50 former CUPE and non-union members into their
bargaining units of Health Care Professionals at the hospital.
June 22, 2006
The
employees of The Corporation of Georgian Bay Township
have voted in favour of joining OPSEU. They are a welcome
addition to OPSEU’s municipal sector which already represents
the surrounding townships in that area of the province.
June 7, 2006 OPSEU welcomes
Registered Nurses working at Ongwanada in Kingston. After
years of unfair treatment and the threat of job losses, the
nurses chose OPSEU as the union that would best serve their
needs. Congratulations!
May 31, 2006 OPSEU’s Long
Term Care Facilities Sector welcomes the full-time and part-time
employees at Grey Gables County Home for the Aged. This
unit is located in the town of Markdale.
May 12, 2006 OPSEU welcomes
volunteer paramedics working at the northern bases in the
County of Lennox and Addington.
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