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OPSEU local 535 at the AGO is
still at the table with the employer after
bargaining through the night. The strike
deadline has been extended to 12 noon, Friday
May 21.
A central issue at the
bargaining table has been the growing crisis of
part-time work. Part-time positions at the
Gallery are now almost double the number of
full-time jobs.
“We are still in negotiations,”
said AGO employee and OPSEU union spokesperson,
Paula Whitmore. “We are prepared to bargain
right through the long weekend if necessary.”
Many AGO employees are
struggling to make a living working two
part-time jobs, often at 40 hours per week with
no benefits. They are forced into part-time
work and short term contracts. In addition, work
is often contracted out to external sources.
Over 250 gallery workers and
their supporters held a rally on May 19, outside
the AGO. Led by singer Faith Nolan and the band
Rhythms of Resistance, protesters chanted “Fair
contract now!” and waved signs with the slogans
“Full-time work” and “We need good jobs at the
AGO.”
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey)
Thomas and Vice-President Patty Rout as well as
Toronto York Region Labour Council President,
John Cartwright addressed the crowd expressing
support.
“If you walk, we’re right there
with you,” said Smokey Thomas, “There will be a
fight the likes of which you have never seen
before.”
OPSEU has a $50,000,000 strike
fund available to its members.
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