Category: Campaigns

• Striking workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services escalate action on the picket line to end unsafe conditions and return residents to group homes

  Today, striking workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS), members of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 249, escalated action on the picket line, shutting down intersections near facilities at 53 Bond St in Oakville. They are calling on management to get the people they support back to their homes before the holidays. For weeks, workers and families…

  Andy Pedersen

  December 12, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Strike

• Apply to be a Part-time / Sessional College Faculty member organizer (multiple opportunities)

  Your elected bargaining team has begun the groundwork required to negotiate your first union contract (Collective Agreement). Our division—CAAT Academic Part Time and Sessional— will need to get members educated and engaged in bargaining in order to win a strong first contract. To build this bargaining power, we are looking for member organizers. The key…

  December 12, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

• OPSEU/SEFPO Corrections in the News: Jail overcrowding, mental health and contraband

  OPSEU/SEFPO Correctional Bargaining Unit leaders spoke with numerous media outlets over the past week regarding Ontario’s overcrowded, understaffed jails which are forced far beyond capacity or safe staffing levels. OPSEU/SEFPO members are an intricate part of the justice system, doing their part every day to keep communities safe. In order for the upcoming provincial and…

  December 12, 2025

  Campaigns, Media

  Crisis in Corrections, OPSEU in the News

• Striking workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services want an end to the strike and for residents to get back to their homes before the holidays

  As they near the end of week three on strike at Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS), workers from OPSEU/SEFPO released an open letter to the Board of Directors calling for accountability and action to end the strike.    “As a member of the CWSDS Board of Directors, you share responsibility for the decisions that have jeopardized the safety and wellbeing of the vulnerable people CWSDS supports. In this role,…

  Andy Pedersen

  December 10, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Strike

• Join the Next OPS Unifier Meeting!

  Our next OPS Unifiers Meeting is right around the corner, and after receiving feedback from fellow OPS Members, we will be moving all monthly Unifier meetings to Tuesdays, starting next week! Join your OPS Unified Mobilizers on Tuesday December 9th, 2025, for the next Unifier Meeting. This is an important moment for the OPS to…

  Andy Pedersen

  December 4, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

• Q and A and FAQs on the important post-strike pension decisions facing College Full-time Support workers

  Live Q and A: Thursday, Dec 4 noon to 1 pm EST. RSVP here for CAAT Pension Q and A Frequently asked questions: Pension FAQ for College Support FT workers Ask specific questions: CAAT member portal Email:  member@caatpension.ca Phone: 1-866-350-2228 or 416-673-9000 (Toronto), Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm ET. The CAAT Pension Plan wants to support…

  Andy Pedersen

  December 1, 2025

  Campaigns, Pensions and Benefits

  Pensions, Strike

• Over 1,000 LifeLabs laboratory workers across Toronto and Mississauga join OPSEU/SEFPO!

  OPSEU/SEFPO is growing! Workers are getting organized – and this week, we’re thrilled to share welcome news about the newest members joining OPSEU/SEFPO, now 200,000 strong across the public service. 1041 LifeLabs workers – including medical laboratory technologists, cytotechnologists, pathologists assistants, medical laboratory technicians and medical laboratory assistants – are newly union certified after casting…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 28, 2025

  Campaigns

  Certifications

• Community rallies for striking workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS)

  Workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services are on strike for a fair contract and an end to intimidation and unsafe working conditions.  For weeks, they’ve lived with the potential of a lockout at any time. In bargaining, these workers have simply been asking for fair wages to catch up after years and years of low increases. Many workers are forced to work second jobs or…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 28, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Strike

• College Faculty Full-Time and Partial-Load DivEx Update: What Faculty Need to Know about the Colleges’ Efficiency and Accountability Fund (EAF) Reports

  On February 26, 2024, Ontario earmarked $150 million from a post-secondary funding announcement for commissioning third-party reviews of colleges, producing “Efficiency and Accountability Fund” (EAF) reports. These reviews were advertised as assessments of how public colleges could “modernize operations” and achieve financial sustainability. In reality, the EAF reports read less like “efficiency” audits and more like…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 26, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

• Sector 13: Municipally Speaking – Information Bulletin Fall 2025

  Grievance Filing On September 16 and 17, the Sector 13 Municipalities Divisional Executives (Divex) were in Niagara Falls to connect with members and assist with building their local. This initiative will be ongoing so keep an eye out for us in your area! Together, we discussed “Why to file a Grievance” and how to address the…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 21, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Newsletter

• College Part-Time Support Staff Bargaining Update #18: Mediation will continue on December 12th, 2025

  Mediation will continue on December 12th, 2025 Yesterday, your bargaining team concluded a full day of mediation with the employer. Mediation will continue on Friday, December 12th, 2025, where we hope to continue progressing towards a deal. During the Ontario Federation of Labour convention our full-time support and faculty co-workers made an announcement on the…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 21, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Newsletter

• BloodLines Bargaining Bulletin: Summary of New Interest Arbitration Award

  Your bargaining team is pleased to report that we received Arbitrator Lindsey Lawrence’s decision on November 19, 2025, and can now share the details of the award. Thank you for your patience and solidarity throughout this process! This Award applies to members working in CBS Support Locals 160, 200, 210, 477, and 5103. Below is the summary…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 21, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Newsletter

• Update: Central West Specialized Developmental Services

  Message to members of Local 249 – Central West Specialized Developmental Services Local 249 – Central West Specialized Developmental Services     Dear members,   Your bargaining team came to the table today ready to negotiate a fair deal. We care deeply about the people we support and do not want to see a disruption in…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 20, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Strike

• Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS) workers launch strike action for a fair deal in face of employer intimidation

  Local 249 – Central West Specialized Developmental Services workers announce an immediate strike after more than 40 days in a tenuous lockout position  Oakville – Workers at Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS), represented by OPSEU/SEFPO Local 249, have initiated immediate strike action after a full day of mediation failed to produce a fair deal.   “The…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 19, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Strike

• RPN Division stands in solidarity with ONA’s ‘Code Black and Blue’ Campaign

  OPSEU/SEFPO’s RPN Occupational Division stands in solidarity with ONA’s Code Black and Blue campaign, which sheds light on the alarming rise in workplace violence and assaults against nurses. Every day, nurses across all sectors—including Long-Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, Hospitals, Community Nursing, and Correctional Institutions—face threats to our safety while providing essential care. Our communities…

  November 18, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Solidarity

• To the Point – Sector 19 Newsletter

  A newsletter for OPSEU/SEFPO members working in Sector 19: Blood Services and Diagnostics. It has been a busy year! Your Sector 19 Division Executive has taken the lead in many events and showed up to support our union siblings within our own Sector, as well as other Sectors and Regions. From the anti-paid plasma campaign…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 14, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Newsletter

• Recap: Invest in Healthcare, not corporate leases Info picket with Ontario Health atHome

  On Wednesday November 12th, hundreds of employees at Ontario Health atHome showed up despite the cold and held info pickets about the shortsighted return to work policy that is being imposed by management. The recent decision to reverse hybrid and remote work policies that have resulted in high-quality patient care and employee satisfaction will mean…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 14, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Certifications

• CERC Update: Bill 124 – Wage Reopener Remedy

  New Process for Accessing the Base Compensation Adjustment Report (BCAR) The Employer has announced a new process that allows eligible former OPS employees and current OPS employees without WIN or an OPS email to request a copy of their Base Compensation Adjustments Report (BCAR) as part of the Bill 124 wage-reopener remedy. This update outlines…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 14, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

  Bill 124

• Five Years, Two Reviews, and Still No Accountability at York Region CAS

  Local 304 – How we are fighting for accountability at our workplace Five years ago, York Region Children’s Aid Society (YRCAS) went through an operational review that was supposed to be a turning point — a moment to finally face the deep cultural and systemic issues that staff had been courageously naming for years. That…

  Andy Pedersen

  November 14, 2025

  Bargaining, Campaigns

• The BPS is Taking Over Toronto! Here’s What to Expect

  by Alexandrea Seggewiss, Local 715, inSolidarity Committee On November 14-16, members from the Broader Public Service’s multiple sectors will be descending on downtown Toronto for the division’s biennial conference and sector divisional meetings. Members can expect a fulsome conference built around this year’s theme of “Empowering Workers to Stand Together,” including speakers, presentations and panel…

  November 12, 2025

  Campaigns, Media

  Solidarity