Category: Bargaining
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The Ground is Always Shifting
At first, we didn't know what to call it even though we could feel it. We had a growing sense that something wasn't right. Things that mattered to Ontarians stopped being fair. Money and power began to outweigh the quality of peoples' lives. In the 1930s Americans saw a huge shift in wealth through their…
Andy Pedersen
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Questioning the Right Wing Manifesto!
From the time I have taken an active interest in politics, I have always wondered what influences a person to have conservative values. None of it has ever made any sense to me. The whole idea of “me” over “we” just doesn’t occur to me. We are either all in this together or we aren’t.…
Andy Pedersen
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Ontario and the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement
The president of a 130,000 member union like OPSEU, with 500 bargaining units and collective agreements, learns a lot about the art of negotiations. So, I am surprised by the one-sided commentary about the agreement recently inked between Canada and the European Union (EU). Comments from our federal political parties coupled with media reports can…
Andy Pedersen
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It’s a Mess
It is an ugly mess. It’s unproductive and confidence sapping. In Ottawa, scandal pock marks the political landscape. What should be front and centre for our political masters are measures to close the income inequality gap. Actions that get Canadians back to work at decent wages. Amongst the claims and counter claims by unsympathetic…
Andy Pedersen
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Fighting the wage freeze
Dear sisters and brothers: The wage freeze the McGuinty government imposed in its 2010 budget must not go unchallenged. That was the clear message that came out of an April 8 emergency meeting of the OPSEU Executive Board. By now, most of us know what the freeze is about: Under Bill 16, the Liberal budget…
Andy Pedersen
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College part-timers: Don’t count them out
Some 3,500 college part-time employees from across the province braved some of the worst winter weather to cast ballots on whether they wanted OPSEU to represent them. It was a historic vote for people who had only recently won the right to form a union. Their 30-year battle for union rights was taken up by…
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Zeroes won’t protect public services
Dear friends, As you may know, leaders from several public sector unions and employer groups met on July 20 with Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan. He invited us. The subject of the meeting was what Duncan calls “compensation restraint.” I call it what it is: cuts to wages and benefits for hardworking people. The two-hour…
Andy Pedersen
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Voting for the kind of Ontario we want
Greetings Friends The recent state funeral held for Jack Layton was a powerful rallying call for renewed hope and optimism. This message comes just as the writ will be dropped and campaigning begins in earnest for the upcoming Ontario general election. It also comes as an important call for solidarity as we look forward to…
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The future of good, full-time jobs is on the line
Dear friends, Now that 8,000 college support staff are on strike, a lot of commentators will blame the workers. This is the standard response from right-wing pundits, politicians, and news outlets. Facts don’t matter for these folks. As far as they’re concerned, workers are always greedy and the boss is always right – even when…
Andy Pedersen
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PS: Let’s Talk
OPSEU launches new Ontario Public Service Blog The new blog shares union news, commentary and views from the members and elected leaders in the OPS. Join us to untangle employer spin and educate our members and the public about what"s really happening to public services in Ontario. The truth starts at PS: Let"s Talk. PS:…
Andy Pedersen
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Oct. 6 is Election Day: get out and vote!
Dear friends, Every election is important but tomorrow’s vote holds particular significance. If you are an OPSEU member this election will affect your life at home and at work. It will affect the quality of the services every person in the province will receive over the next four years. It will affect your wages and…
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Is the government biased against women?
Many people think the McGuinty Liberals are now showing their true face, and it isn’t pretty. While we applaud the province’s intention to stimulate the economy through huge investments in construction of roads, transit systems and buildings – mostly men’s jobs — it’s hard to understand why they could not demonstrate the same commitment to…
Andy Pedersen
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Fighting the coming attack
Dear sisters and brothers: The wounded global economy came home to roost at Queen’s Park yesterday. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced that Ontario’s budget deficit this year will hit $24.7 billion. The news, while not surprising, was shocking just the same. It’s a big number. It has big consequences for every OPSEU member. The Minister…
Andy Pedersen
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Collectivity, Community, Balance and Fairness
Greetings, Friends. It seems that not a day goes by without the union movement being under some kind of attack by the corporate elite and their media shills. As the last line of defense for working people, we are convenient targets. The Globe and Mail could hardly contain itself. For that shameless rag and all…
Andy Pedersen
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Wow: An Ice Storm in Winter!
History has a strange way of repeating itself. What happened? Shockingly, an ice storm did — and wow — it was during a Canadian winter! The severity of this storm caught government officials at the municipal and provincial levels flatfooted. Who knows what the federal government thought or did given that they were absent throughout.…
Andy Pedersen
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United we stand: by-elections show us the power of politics
The recent by-elections saw Ontarians reject Progressive Conservative proposals for austerity, reduced services and the introduction of American style labour laws. Four out of five ridings rejected the PCs. Their one win came in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. In that riding their candidate was a popular municipal politician. It is time for that party to hit the reset…
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The Death of a Dream
I like some of things about the U.S.A., but a lot of what they do doesn't fit my values. This tension arose last during the attempt by the city of Detroit to declare bankruptcy. I shook my head at the finger pointing that followed. It would be easy to ignore the Detroit bankruptcy. Our cities…
Andy Pedersen
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Prosperity: Is it at the corner of Main Street and Union Way?
Some say that we're all in this together. But are we really? Disturbing trends have brought us watered down democracy where one set of rules apply to the wealthy while a different set apply to the rest. How did this happen? It starts and ends with economic inequality. Money is always linked to political power.…
Andy Pedersen
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Obama inspires struggle for equity
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States represents a major step forward and hope for the future. Obama’s words from the base of Abraham Lincoln’s monument can be adapted for our own union, as well: …if we could just recognize ourselves and bring everybody together…..Latino, Asian and Native…
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Inspiration on a flight north
Last week I had the privilege of being invited to a meeting of OPSEU activists in Sault Ste. Marie. As they say, the journey can be as important as the destination. This was one of those times. On the flight north, I made the acquaintance of a young man who had recently gotten married. He…
Andy Pedersen