Category: Campaigns
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Public sector the key
As we enter the new year, Ontario is facing an economic crisis the likes of which few of us have witnessed before. In tough times, with heavy job losses in the private sector, many families rely on a public-sector pay cheque — and so do the communities in which those families live. That’s why all…
Andy Pedersen
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Wall Street protests come to Ontario
Dear friends, A new people’s movement is being born before our eyes. From its start in New York last month, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement has spread across the U.S. and now into Canada. Protests have been peaceful, but that hasn’t stopped the arrest of thousands in the U.S. Clearly, many people are committed to…
Andy Pedersen
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The new “government” of corporate elite
The power of the stock market has now surpassed the power of nation states. Governments, once guided by democracy, are under the influence of this new “privelegocracy”. Ballots have been replaced by bailouts. Italy and Greece are nation states that have fallen to these demands. The result: goodbye elected government…hello board of directors. Their new…
Andy Pedersen
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Resources for a strong future
Greetings Members There is an old proverb that states “May you live in interesting times.” It sounds good until you really think about it…I believe it was meant as more of a curse than anything else. 2012 looks to be a good example of living in interesting times. From all indications, this will be the…
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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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G-20 and Pride: A stark contrast
Dear sisters and brothers: Well, the G-20 is over. From the news, you would never know that OPSEU members were among 25,000 marchers who called on world leaders to put the needs of people first. We marched peacefully for good jobs, strong public services, and fair taxation. We marched beside environmentalists, human rights activists, and…
Andy Pedersen
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Vulnerable Retirees Deserve Much Better
This week’s Toronto Star exposé about neglect and filthy conditions at a Toronto-area retirement home highlights concerns the union has been raising about quality of care in these facilities. OPSEU members who work in retirement homes have been telling us for years that the residents they see are increasingly frail, sick, and in need of…
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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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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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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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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