"As a union, we are nothing without our history," President Leah Casselman told the opening session of the union’s 25th anniversary Convention.

"Without the people who were at the 1975 Convention, OPSEU would not exist." And those attending their first convention this year are "the future of something important, something worth fighting for, something bigger than any one person – this union."

Each delegate brings individual experience and knowledge to the union, and the real power is in the combined knowledge of all, Casselman said. "Let’s look at the first 25 years with pride and move into a new century with determination."

In 1975, OPSEU had one grievance officer, no equity committees, no policy on equal rights, little pension expertise. Now we have a track record of fighting for equity and joint trusteeship of an $8 billion pension fund, with responsibility for strategic decisions affecting thousands of retirees.

OPSEU has its own benefits plan for small agencies, using the union’s size to benefit a wide range of members working for small employers.

"In 1975, OPSEU had never carried off a strike, let alone the biggest provincial strike in Ontario history as we did in 1996," Casselman said. Many difficult contracts are reached without strikes, but when necessary, OPSEU members will take action, and they do it well, she said, paying tribute to locals who struck in the past year.

"Employers 25 years ago weren’t as bent on destroying public services and our work. They weren’t as organized as they are now. They generally agreed on the value of public sector work and the kind of Ontario and Canada and world that we wanted for ourselves and our children."

Ontario governments 25 years ago were building public services, educational institutions, and cultural institutions. "We had our problems with the governments of the day, but we didn’t have Mike Harris. We didn’t have the privatizers, privateers, and tax cutters that we have today.

"We didn’t have homeless people begging in the streets, and workplaces ruled by profits, while health and safety and environmental laws are relaxed so parks and forests go unprotected. Companies didn’t have free rein for profits, and public interests be damned.

"It’s time to draw a picture of what we want in Ontario. No matter what sector, we should be able to articulate to family and friends what it will take to make our services better.

"OPSEU has a distinct advantage, being a strong central union with strong locals, activist members and professional staff. We’re part of a national union and a network of provincial unions, with a history of bargaining hard, speaking out and campaigning.

"In the last year we welcomed more than 4,000 new members to OPSEU, and reorganized another 4,000 who had been divested, downloaded, or merged into different bargaining units.

"Together we are building the best union in Ontario, and moving forward together," she said.

Convention 2000 saw a grand total of 1,320 participants.

The group was composed of 712 delegates, 347 alternates, 142 observers, six from the retired members division, 20 Executive Board Members, 35 members of the convention and equity committees, 18 solidarity guests and 40 guests.

Among solidarity guests attending the Convention were representatives of the Ontario Federation of Labour, the National Union of Public and General Employees, OPSEU’s two staff unions, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and Toronto and Hamilton labour councils.

President Leah Casselman went to a floor microphone to emphasize the importance of a convention resolution stating the union’s commitment to win decent wage increases for members.

The government’s position that any increase higher than 2 per cent has to come from an employer’s existing budget is "a real and continued attack on public sector workers," she said.

Employers in the Broader Public Service have been facing major funding cuts and increased dependence on charities and casino gambling.

Agencies need to be able to pay workers fairly so they can remain in their chosen profession and have a decent living wage to support their families. They also need to be able to attract new people into the field and to ensure adequate services to the clients they serve, she said.

The resolution called on the union to reject the government’s wage threats and bargain aggressively toward fair settlements.

Gavin Anderson, whose Local 460 struck for 19 weeks in 1998 to retain pensions and job security, said even after that lengthy dispute his members were clear in demanding more money in their current round of bargaining.

"If there is new money in children’s mental health it has to go to compensation."

Delegates went on record as opposing "workfare" and called on the union to expose the facts around victimization of poor people.

They urged the union to support the right of all workers, including the unorganized, under-employed and unemployed, to decent jobs with decent wages, benefits and working conditions.

David Rapaport of Local 503 warned delegates that workfare was coming to their workplaces, and said it should be ringing alarm bells.

He called it one of the worst of the Harris government’s assaults on the rights of working people. In New York City, there are 35,000 people on workfare doing the work of 32,000 full-time equivalents who previously had unionized city jobs. "It’s a vindictive approach to social assistance.... It’s the poor houses of the 19th century."

Pat Heroux of Local 261, said workfare clients had come to her workplace, a home for the aged. Without proper training or understanding of the job, they had been assigned to areas where it was simply not safe for them to be. One was given a job title that looked as if she had greater responsibility than she did, which set her up to fail as her experience didn’t back up her résumé, she said.

Michael Stohr of Local 547 described workfare as a "sleazy political game our provincial government is pulling on us." He said OPSEU has to fight the issue not just because jobs are at stake, but to educate the public about the lies the provincial government is telling them.

Convention defeated a move to charge 30 per cent dues on paycheques for members who volunteered for acting management positions. The 30 per cent dues would also have applied after five days in an acting management post until the member returned to their regular bargaining unit position.

Much of the support for the levy came from members in Corrections.

Typical of the argument was Terry Campbell of Local 341, Millbrook Correctional Institution: "I don’t believe actors should have the right to be protected by the union when they are doing the acting positions. Ether you are union or you’re management and there is no in between."

Vince Vadacchino of Local 214 said the move would have a different impact in other sectors of the union. He said the move would penalize members, which the union shouldn’t do.

Ian Henderson of Local 503 said he worked in a different context, and "my members would not understand the need or rationale and woud see it as the union being bloody-minded."

Doug Brandy of Local 415, Algonquin College faculty, expressed sympathy with members in workplaces where this might be a good idea.

Convention 2000 decided that OPSEU would have to schedule all grievances involving dismissal, layoff, human rights and harassment.

However it balked at ordering the union not to cancel (or to cease scheduling) arbitrations for financial reasons.

Despite passionate arguments that the resolution was necessary to protect members with other grievances, Convention decided not to "open the tap" to uncontrollable costs.

The 2000 Convention approved a $50 million budget, which will see the union ending the year with a deficit of $3.5 million in its General Fund.

After transfers to the Strike and Education funds, the General Fund has projected spending of $44.9 million.

At the same time, the Strike Fund is projected to grow by $5.5 million to more than $22 million (subject to strike activity), while the Education Fund runs a $46,000 deficit to provide regional educational programs for members.

In his budget presentation, First Vice-President/Treasurer Len Hupet said the plan was to maintain current services. No campaigns on the scale of last year’s provincial election effort are projected, and the union is over the hump of dealing with the grievance backlog

OPSEU will continue building a strong strike fund to fend off employer challenges at the bargaining table.

The allocation of 10 per cent of dues to the strike fund is a significant reason for the cash flow problem in the General Fund, Hupet said.

OPSEU projects dues revenue of $46.5 million, of which $24.2 million will come from the Ontario Public Service, $7.9 million from the college sector and $14.4 million from the Broader Public Service. The OPS share of revenue is dropping as a result of divestment and downsizing, while the BPS share is growing as the union organizes new members. The college share remains relatively unchanged in recent years.

Of every dollar in, 45 cents goes to direct support of member services, including regional office costs, local rebates, meetings and conferences.

Convention passed two motions affecting the union’s $3.24 million legal budget.

The first allocated $150,000 (within the existing budgeted amount) to defend members facing criminal accusations. Individuals would be able to draw a maximum $5,000 for their legal defence, provided it was pre-authorized by the union, and OPSEU would seek reimbursement from the employer.

The motion came from Barry Scanlon, chair of the Corrections Division, who said inmates often concoct charges against staff to cause problems. Scanlon said the union won 90 per cent of such cases, but members "go through hell in the process."

The second change, proposed by Ted Montgomery of Local 560, added $2 million to the legal budget and to the deficit.

A deficit that is an investment in the future is not a problem, he said, and the increase is necessary if college grievances are to be heard at arbitration. If members’ cases aren’t heard, they blame the union. "If we don’t back our grievances up, we abandon our members. It won’t take long for them to abandon us as a union," he said.

Several speakers warned of the need to control costs and bring spending in line.

Bill Kuehnbaum, Region 6 vice-president, said, "We can’t keep adding millions to the red ink and think the tooth fairy will save us."

The convention cut two items, totalling $335,000 that would have set aside reserves for conventions scheduled in 2001.

Collective interests are in serious jeopardy, as the competitive market urges each of us to focus on our own narrow interests, Rev. Susan Eagle told the Convention.

"Canadian people still are compassionate in the face of poor-bashing, teacher-bashing, union-bashing and attacks on other target groups," the London city councillor and United Church minister said.

Even the business community is starting to wonder if it is creating a backlash with its continual harping on tax cuts. "Perhaps it will and perhaps it’s about time that it should."

At the federal and provincial levels, people are working on alternative budgets that deal with choices and meeting community needs.

She urged delegates to follow the road of people who have gone before with a hopeful vision and social passion. They are the ones who gave us Medicare, public education and environmental protection.

"We’ve lost ground, but we can dream, and make possible what we are told is impossible. Others have pioneered the path and refused to be downhearted."

Singer, actor, activist Paul Robeson, "a towering giant in the search for peace," was the recipient of OPSEU’s annual Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Award this year.

Accepting the award posthumously on his behalf, Dr. Sandra Awang of the Paul Robeson Centennial Committee, expressed appreciation for the recognition of "this tireless crusader on behalf of working people around the world."

Raised by a father who had escaped slavery, Robeson grew up in an era of legal segregation and commonplace lynching. He attended Rutgers University on an athletic scholarship and graduated in law from Columbia University, but left the legal profession when a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.

Robeson used his wonderful bass voice to promote peace, justice and unity in the labour and social battles of his time. He sang in 25 languages and cherished his relationship with Canada, Awang said.

He saw the oppression of working people as linked to the oppression of blacks, and he sang at strikes and struggles around the world, denouncing fascism in the U.S. and abroad.

"He had the greatest voice of his time," Awang said. "He is a man who future historians will rate as one of the few truly great men of his age. His words winged to all countinents of the world where there is oppression, and he never charged for appearing before a labour group."

Robeson raised money for the orphans of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. He refused to perform for segregated audiences, and he raised funds for Jews fleeing Europe during the Nazi regime.

His outspoken opposition to oppression attracted the repression of the McCarthy era, and Robeson was blacklisted and denied a passport as a dangerous man. He was hounded by the FBI and written out of the history books.

Against this backdrop, he was invited to the B.C. Mine Mill and Smelter Workers Convention, and performed at the International Peace Arch at the U.S. Canadian border south of Vancouver.

It was a concert that fought back against U.S. efforts to silence him.

President Leah Casselman said Robeson’s struggles as an artist and activist were inspiring. "He was not going backward, and neither are we."

OPSEU’s Network for Better Contracts – a program of leadership development, support for communication and research and coordination of union efforts – has won Convention backing.

The policy paper spells out the harsh labour environment in which the union is operating. Power hungry employers would rather dicate than negotiate, and they are backed by labour laws that favour employers.

Against that background, OPSEU must organize new and divested members, bargain strong contracts and continue its tradition of speaking out for justice, equality and fairness in the delivery of public services.

The policy speaks to training staff and members in more effective negotiations, coordinating bargaining goals across sectors and supporting local leaders with communications and research.

"Building a Network for Better Contracts won’t be easy. It will take time and it will require a shared responsibility between the leadership of our central union, regions and our locals."

• recognizes the need to meet the challenges of the times;

• helps locals mobilize and strategize around workplace issues and supports local leaders in building local strength;

• makes a commitment to on-going training and development of activists and staff;

• puts a priority on communication including the web and email to link and support members;

• builds on OPSEU’s advantage of having a strong central union and strong locals, recognizing that resources are not growing as fast as demands; and

• makes a commitment to work for better ways to meet the challenges.

Executive Board Member Dave Calvert of Local 454 said the policy paper will bring all parts of the union together to build a stronger whole with a focus on "the bread and butter of bargaining and policing stronger collective agreements."

Janice Hagan of Local 561 noted that 25 years ago when OPSEU was created, she was still in elementary school. "25 years from now, I’ll still be here. There is change coming as we lose the ‘boomers.’ We can’t keep relying on the people who were here 25 years ago.

"We need to develop locals where stewards last more than three years. We need our history and we need to know what happened in the past so we won’t have to start over."

Bev Shuler of Local 581 was also enthusiastic. "I’m tired. We need to train younger people and new members. We need to take them forward and make their job easier than ours has been."

Original authorized for distribution by Leah Casselman, President.
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