Website Updates for Aug 31st:

North Bay Area Council

North Bay Area council is holding 25 draws for North Bay Trappers Home games. Head over to the North Bay Service page for more details and to sign up.

Website Updates for Aug 16th:

Northern Ontario School of Medicine

More than 150 clerical, administrative and technical staff walked off the job today after contract talks with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine broke down.

Picket lines have gone up at the school’s two main campuses in Sudbury, at Laurentian University, and at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. The school also operates satellite campuses in Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie.

“All along we have said we were at the table to negotiate a fair contract, not to negotiate for a strike,” said Tyler England, chair of the bargaining team for Local 677 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

“But as the strike deadline drew closer it became more apparent that the employer didn’t appear to be interested in reaching a fair settlement for our members.”

In late July members of Local 677 voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action if talks broke down. Five days of mediation last week failed to bring about a settlement.

Outstanding issues include hours of work, overtime, sick leaves, family leaves and wages.

No future talks are scheduled.

Website Updates for Aug 10th:

Global Issues Section Updated

Check out the latest news on the right side menu.

OPSEU Region 6 now available on Facebook

OPSEU demo at the Liberal Party of Ontario’s fund-raising golf tournament at Bond Head.

North Bay Area Council Updates

Check out the latest news on the right side menu.

Two Members Needed For Conference

This coming October NUPGE and its components will be holding a conference on Mental Health. The overall theme is that the current system operates as a series of disconnected parts rather than a seamless continuum of care. So, the focus of attendees will be on how the current system is not serving patients well and how this affects the ability of union members who work in the field to do their jobs effectively.

This is a two day conference (October 28th and 29th in Ottawa) that will be chaired by NUPGE President James Clancy, and will also include a number of speakers from the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the health sector, the community-based social services sector, and the justice system (amongst others). The goal is to also allow for plenty of discussion as well as time to create an action-plan.

If you are from the health care, justice, or community social services sector and are intersted in participating in this event, please fill out the Region 6 Application form and send it to your three Board Members: Sue, Peter, and Jen.

Website Updates For July 22nd:

Global Issues Section Updated

Check out the latest news on the right side menu.

Eduaction Section Added-

Check out the latest education newsletter on the right side menu.

Calling All Robin Hoods!

As you have likely heard, Minister Dwight Duncan held a meeting of union and employers on July 20th. In this meeting, Duncan advised the roughly fifteen unions and twelve employer groups that he wants YOU to accept a 0 and 0% total compensation over two years.

You can be assured that union representatives voiced serious concern over the fact that while the governement wants us to swallow this, they are still allowing for huge bonuses to managers and sizeable tax cuts for corporations! Keep in mind that an annual bonus for a Deputy Minister is more than the average yearly wage for a Developmental Services or Children's Mental Health Worker! Furthermore, by putting this onto the workers, that same Developmental Services Worker making around $25,000 annually, will be losing roughly $500.00 per year towards the provincial deficit, while the millionaire on Bay pays NOTHING.

It is important that we all stand strong in the face of this. The working people of this province did not cause this mess, and OPSEU will fight to ensure that it is not the working people of this province that pay for it!

Duncan has requested a further meeting with OPSEU. As information comes out, we will continue to forward it to you in these bulletins.

Please talk with the members in your locals about this. As events happen around the province, try to make efforts to attend when feasible. If you are interested in creating an event in your area, let your board members know so that we can assist. Keep an eye on the Region 6 webiste (www.opseuregion6.com) and the main page (www.opseu.org).

On July 29th a rally is being held at McGuinty's annual golf tournament. The rally starts at 6am at the Bondhead Golf Course. If you happen to be vacationing in the area, please come down and show your support! More information is available on the OPSEU website.

Another venue for voicing our concern is CBC radio's Morning North Talkback machine. Call 1-800-461-1138 and let all of Northeastern Ontario know your thoughts on what is going on.

Let's say "NO" to Duncan's Donuts (his two zero's!)!

Forms, Merchandise and Applications-

ONLINE Mobilizing Application Form Coming soon

In an effort to create a fair process to attract old and new activists to certain union assignments, Region 6 has come up with a plan!

Below you will find a link to the Region 6 Union Assignment Application. This application, consisting of four questions, is designed to allow applicants the opportunity to show off his or her experience and skill set, while putting some thought into how to energize the region with regards to specific projects or campaigns. It is important to put thought and detail into all answers -- and keep in mind, experience and skills come from different parts of our lives, so new activists need not fear!

As union assignments (such as mobilizingfor a certain campaign) arise, a notice will appear here, on the Region 6 website, indicating what the assignment is as well as a deadline for application submissions. The applications can then be forwarded to your three Executive Board Members. As you know, opportunities can come up quickly and often have quick start dates, so make sure to check back here regularly for upcoming opportunities.

Please keep in mind that this is a new process. Should any snags come up along the way, we may need to do some minor tweaking!

Download the Form here.

Get your Bad Boss T-shirts now! Special Price $13 Mens and Womens Styles Available Available on behalf of CPAC at the OPSEU Tait Shop. or ext. 8734

2010 Editors Weekend Applications and Awards. Deadline is Spetember 17th,2010. Please use these forms.

Application Form

Awards Form

Cenus long-form

Sisters and Brothers:

Below is some interesting information on the impact of the cancellation of the mandatory long form census. It certainly makes several great points about the need for reliable data for making policy decisions.

The federal government refuses to yield on its decision to end mandatory census long-form data collection, despite an unprecedented Canada-wide backlash that includes doctors, religious groups, academics, city planners and economists.

The CCPA's Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan has been amongst those leading the call for a reversal of the new long-form policy. Her criticism began two weeks ago with an open letter to the Honourable Tony Clement, Ministry of Industry and Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada and Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada.

Listen to Armine appearing on CBC radio's As It Happens. [July 5]
An account of the growing backlash to the policy, in Rolling Thunder Census Review. [July 9]
A media roundup of the latest top news stories and editorials on the issue. [July 12]
Christian and Jewish groups join the debate in this New twist on census story [July 15]
Armine comments as The Fraser Institute Weighs In on the Census [July 16]

Web Updates for June:

OPSEU to McGuinty Cabinet: Don’t go ahead with Supercorp scam

VANCOUVER – Ontario government Cabinet ministers must reject a proposal to cede control of the province’s Crown corporations to private investors, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says.

“Together, the four Crown corporations earn more than $4 billion a year in pure profit for Ontario taxpayers, not counting the taxes they collect,” said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, in Vancouver for a National Union convention. “That money pays for schools, hospitals, roads, children’s aid, environmental protection – the whole gamut of public services.

“Surrendering our assets and the income from them will rob our children of the revenues they need tomorrow to keep Ontario strong,” he said. “It’s short-term gain for long-term pain, and it’s a bad, bad idea.”

The McGuinty Cabinet is set to debate the largest privatization in Ontario history at its Cabinet meeting June 23, according to news reports. The plan to be debated would place the LCBO, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, Hydro One, and Ontario Power Generation into a single corporation. Government would hold a majority stake in the new entity but cede “fiduciary control” to investors.

“It’s hard to believe that McGuinty has come up with a privatization plan so similar to what happened with Highway 407 a decade ago,” said Thomas. “The public built the 407, the public owns the 407, but investors control it. If we go down the same road with our Crown corporations, we will see the same result: a rip-off of monumental proportions.”

Ontarians want sober and responsible management of government, not panic-driven asset sales, Thomas said.

“The public is not calling for the sale of Crown corporations,” he said. “Nobody supports this except Dalton McGuinty and his advisors from Goldman Sachs, who are smacking their lips at the thought of the billions of dollars they can suck from what belongs to all of us.

“If the ‘Supercorp’ proposal goes ahead, we guarantee a full and frank public debate that will continue right up to election day,” Thomas said. “Voters will reject this scam, and if the Premier does not reject it as well, many of his MPPs will pay for it with their seats.”

G8/G20, 2010: Report from the streets!

Labour activists, if during the G8/G20 this June your beat is the streets, broadcast breaking news on 2010.mediacoop.ca, the G20 Alternative Media Centre and the Toronto Media Co-op's hub for street reporting during the G8/G20. Contribute to the site using Twitter, Flickr or YouTube, or upload anonymous reports directly to 2010.mediacoop.ca. If you're combing the web for G20 reports, retweet them with #g20report, or add the tag to flickr photos or youtube videos about G20 actions you happen to come across.
 
This site will be bringing together all sorts of web coverage in one place.

Twitter*
1. Set up a Twitter account at twitter.com/signup
2. Validate your mobile number with Twitter: twitter.com/devices
3. Text updates to Twitter by texting messages to 21212 and tagging them #g20reports. Tweets tagged #g20reports will show up on 2010.mediacoop.ca.


Flickr and YouTube
Tag photos and video #g20reports and they will show up on 2010.mediacoop.ca.

Direct reports
Go to 2010.mediacoop.ca and click "add report."
 
You can also upload stories, videos, press releases or photos to the Toronto Media Co-op, which is an open publishing website: toronto.mediacoop.ca.

*The easiest and fastest way to broadcast breaking information from the streets is to use Twitter from a mobile phone. We encourage street reporters to sign up for a Twitter account if they don't already have one.

Email us with tips at g20altmedia@googlegroups.com or post to our website, toronto.mediacoop.ca.
Call us at 647-7222379 ext 791  to record audio reports.

2010.mediacoop.ca is a news aggregator and communication platform first used in Pittsburgh during the September 2009 G20 meetings & protests. It was subsequently used by the Vancouver Media Co-op as a street reporting tool during February's Olympic Games.

Equality and Human Rights Updates

The G20 Summit

Finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries plus the European Union have been invited along with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to gather in Toronto on June 26 and 27 for the fourth G20 Summit.

The Group of Twenty (G20) was formally established in Berlin at the 1999 G7 meeting of Finance Ministers, and the first G20 Summit was held in Washington in 2008. The primary focus of G20 dialogue is economic and financial policy issues.

The G8 Summit

The 2010 G8 Summit will be held on June 25, in Huntsville, Ontario at the Deerhurst Resort. The G8 includes representatives of Canada, France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, and Italy. While at first the G8 originally largely addressed macroeconomic issues it now has a broader agenda, including dialogue about international economic, political, and social issues.

What can we do?

While economic policies are being developed behind closed doors, thousands of individuals will be protesting the G8 and G20.  Many, including OPSEU members from all around the province, will be meeting at Queen’s Park on June 26th at 1pm for a huge rally.  If you or members in your locals are interested in attending this event, please contact Jennifer Giroux at jen_giroux@hotmail.com.

Want to show solidarity with the many groups and individuals protesting these summits, but unable to make it to Toronto?  Why not try one of the following:

-Organize a movie screening with films like “Poor No More”, “The Coca-Cola Case”, or another social justice film for members

-Write letters to the editor of your local paper – talk about alternative solutions like the Robin Hood Tax (www.robinhoodtax.ca)

-Hold a panel discussion involving activists from your area

-Conduct your own G8/G20 protest in your own city or town – call the media

-contact your MP and talk about where it is you want to see Canada go!

Make sure to document your actions so that we can get them up onto the website!

This Provincial Young Workers (PYC) event is being held in Toronto from August 13-14th, 2010.  Since this event is for young workers age 30 and under, please circulate this application to any young members in your local and encourage them to apply.  The deadline for applications is Friday, June 25th, 2010.

Application Package

Global Issues  & Health & Safety Issues updated.

Timmins Area Council's Website is up. You can find it on the right side menu or by clicking here.

Local 649 Webpage has been added. You can find it on the right side under Timmins or by clicking here. 

As of June 15, 2010, amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act will come into force, giving new rights to employees and placing new duties on employers.

Lancaster House's full-day interactive Workplace Violence and Harassment Workshop: Exercising your rights, meeting your obligations under Ontario's new Bill 168 is offered in 6 different locations across Ontario to assist your organization in complying with Bill 168.

Toronto – Wednesday, June 2, 2010
London – Wednesday, June 16, 2010
St. Catharines – Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Kingston – Thursday, July 15, 2010
Hamilton – Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Ottawa – Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The program details are available on their website.

Some Locals may wish to cover the expences of this to be informed.

Fight The Wage Freeze

Working people are not the problem!
The 2010 Liberal budget contains serious attacks on the public sector. Executive Board Members and OPSEU member activists are mobilizing across the province. Join us at the following planned events targeting Liberal Party fundraisers.


Rally at Liberal Party Conference

Friday, May 14
Ontario Liberal Party Collingwood Conference
Blue Mountain Ski Resort
Collingwood
3 – 7 p.m.

Please contact Jennifer Giroux if you are in Region 6 and are interested in  participating.

Labourtech Conference

The second Canadian Labourtech conference will take place at the University of Windsor May 14-16, 2010. Martin Jansen, director of South Africa’s Workers’ World Media Productions, will be the keynote speaker at our opening plenary on Friday, May 14, 7 pm. Martin previously worked for the Labour Research Service as its head of Education and Media Unit. Prior to that he was a trade unionist with the COSATU affiliated Chemical Workers Industrial Union. Martin has a long history of student, youth and community activism. He currently chairs the Labour Media Consortium, a national forum of trade union media officers and labour service organisations that strategises around developing and promoting labour media. He is also the board chairperson Cape Town TV, a recently launched community TV channel of the greater Cape Town community.

LabourTech 2010 is an opportunity for union staff and activists, social justice activists and progressive techies to come together and explore how we are using new technologies to strengthen and expand the labour movement in Canada and around the world.

Register online at www.labourtech.ca

Children's Mental Health Rally Day May 3rd at Queen's Park

May 3rd to 7th is Children's Mental Health Week and the Parent Association (Parents For Children's Mental Health - PCMH) is organizing a rally at Queen's Park on May 3rd. A private member's bill will be introduced in the legislature at 1:30 p.m..
 
We are encouraging OPSEU members to participate in this rally and assist where they can.   Some of our CTS bargaining units have already (through their locals) offered financial assistance in offsetting the cost of the busses that are being organized to travel to Toronto. 
 
You may already be aware that Smokey is scheduled to speak at the event.
 
Hope to see you there and thank you for your support!

Schedule
PCMH Poster
 
In Solidarity,
Deb
 
Deborah Gordon
CTS Chair Sector 15
OPSEU
(519) 332-6594 (H)
(519) 337-3701 x222
dagordon@rivernet.net

Kap Rally

With a strike vote only days away, more than 60 staff members at Service Familiaux Jeanne Sauvé Family Services (JSFS) and their supporters took to the streets of Kapuskasing last night to demonstrate against the crisis in under-funding facing child protection services across northern Ontario.

At a rally afterwards at the local curling club, the demonstrators heard from a host of regional OPSEU leaders, elected civic officials and Local 639 members representing staff at JSFS, who attacked the McGuinty government for its failure to provide long-term, sustainable funding for the Children’s Aid Society.

Organizers labeled the demo and rally a huge success, with more media coverage provided by CTV news, local newspapers and three radio stations. The JSFS members, represented by OPSEU local 639, are scheduled to take a strike vote on Apr. 21 to prevent further job losses and cuts to services.

JSFS faces a $211,000 operating deficit this year. Staff at several regional offices in the Kapuskasing and Timmins area have been laid off and more job losses are predicted. The funding shortfall has also resulted in cuts to local programming and fears that the CAS may not be able to fulfill its mandate under Ontario law to provide for a range of child protection services.

Smooth Rock Falls mayor Kevin Somer, a father of six, told the crowd: “a young mind is a terrible thing to waste” and fully endorsed the position of Local 639 in its struggle with the employer.

OPSEU regional board member Sue Brown said the fight against cuts at the CAS in northern Ontario is simply the opening chapter in a campaign that will sweep the province as more and more CAS offices face the prospect of cutting staff as the only means left to balance budgets.

“We need to wake-up this government and have them recognize the damage their cuts are doing to children and young people,” she said.

That position was reinforced by Peter Wall, a second OPSEU board member who attended the rally. “OPSEU wholly support the position of Local 639 and this is only the beginning. We’ll take this fight across the province.”

Invited speakers David Ramsay, Liberal MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane, whose riding includes some of the affected CAS offices, and Lynn Burebe, executive director of JSFS, declined to attend the rally.

Timmins-James Bay NDP MPP Gilles Bisson was unable to attend, a representative of his office read a letter from Bisson in which he expressed his full support for members of Local 639.

More information: 

Barb Hutchings, OPSEU Local 639, 705-272-8186

Norm Pilon, OPSEU Staff Representative, 705-561-3570

Website Updates For the First 2 weeks of April 2010

Added Global Issues tab. Check it out on the right side menu or by clicking >> here <<

Added Bios for our Region 6 Board Members >> here <<

Added Equality and Human Rights section on the right side menu or by clicking >> here <<

Added Health and Safety section on the right side menu or by clicking >> here <<

Website Disclaimer:

We are not responsible for the content or the links on this site.