Dear friends:
The Ontario Liberal Party will choose a new leader – and a
new Premier for the province – on January 26.
Changing the Liberal leader
won’t do much for working people. Despite the Liberals’ slogan of “Forward
Together,” most OPSEU members are more worried about going backward. Our
wages and working conditions are under attack, and many members are facing
the very real fear of job loss in 2013 due to major cuts and privatization
of public services.
Both the Liberals and
Conservatives have attacked the democratic right of workers to take part in
collective bargaining. The Liberals’ Bill 115 gives government the power to
impose contracts on teachers and school support staff – without bothering to
negotiate in good faith. And the Conservatives are no better. They’ve
already made it clear that if they win the next election, they’ll declare
war on unionized workers and force public sector workers to compete for
their own jobs against private sector companies.
It’s pretty clear that neither
the Liberals nor the Conservatives are working for the common good of all
Ontarians. They may be working for corporate CEOs and other members of the
top one per cent, but they’re not working for working people.
On January 26, we will take our
demand for a compassionate and prosperous Ontario directly to Liberal Party
members and leadership candidates. You are invited to a major rally in the
morning on Saturday, January 26, outside Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Mark
this date on your calendar and plan to attend. If you live outside of
Toronto, you’ll be able to catch a ride to the rally on buses we’ll be
organizing from other regions of Ontario. Watch for more information in the
new year.
Until then, I’m wishing you and
your family all the best this holiday season.
