A season of activism
September 22, 2009
As summer fades away and we greet the early days of autumn
this is a timely opportunity to look back over the past few months and
remind ourselves that OPSEU members keep active regardless of the season.
The summer of 2009 will be remembered fondly for the
activism demonstrated by hundreds of summer students who work in Ontario’s
provincial parks. Outraged by the McGunity government’s callous decision
that these seasonal workers should not receive 8.16 per cent of their gross
pay in lieu of working vacations and statutory holidays – in direct
contravention of the law – summer students organized information pickets
outside provincial parks and Ontario-owned tourist venues
On average, the lost pay amounted to between $400 and $600
per student – income they desperately need during these tough economic times
and when tuition fees keep rising. The McGuinty government should be ashamed
of itself for denying income to young people when they need it most. OPSEU
stands solidly behind its youngest members and will fight the government
until it finally decides to obey its own labour laws.
We also applaud the hard-nosed bargaining demonstrated by
members of the Liquor Board Employees Division (LBED), who ratified their
first collective agreement as members of OPSEU in July. The bargaining team
managed to negotiate important gains, including a first-time benefits
package, for casual employees, the majority of whom are women.
It was a good summer, too, for part-time support staff at
community colleges. On Sept. 3, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ordered
that a vote be held to determine whether 10,000 part-time support staff
choose to join OPSEU at 24 campuses across Ontario. We’re looking forward to
a strong mandate from these workers who lack job security, benefits and
competitive wages.
Closer to home, negotiations with staff resumed in late
August. The OPSEU bargaining team includes Smokey Thomas, myself and
executive board members Dave Lundy, Peter Wall, Jamie Tocker and Jeannie
Theriault.
On a personal note, the summer months afforded me the
opportunity to attend a variety of functions where I learned about the
achievements and challenges our members face.
I traveled to Whitney and joined our student members at a
BBQ outside Algonquin Park. It was a genuine treat to share in the
enthusiasm demonstrated by a group of young workers. They are the future of
organized labour in Ontario.
In Thunder Bay I attended a Region 7 BBQ where members
expressed concerns about job security, cut backs to public services and the
security of their pensions. I heard similar concerns at a Region 3 OPSEU
event in Peterborough. In both instances, and in other activities this
summer, I reinforced OPSEU’s commitment to fight back and defend the
interests of our members, whether they work in the OPS or in the BPS.
I look forward to resuming the important work OPSEU faces in
the months ahead. Our autumn schedule includes a wide host of activities,
culminating in late November with our BPS conference.
Regardless of the season the challenges faced by organized
labour never end. Summer affords all of us the opportunity to re-charge our
batteries, but as the past few months have demonstrated our work is really a
12-month affair.
In Solidarity
Patty Rout
First Vice-President / Treasurer
