Almost 100 OPSEU activists from across Ontario gathered in downtown Toronto October 27-29 to learn the secrets of powerful communication.
Almost 100 members attended Editors’ Weekend
“An educated and informed union is an effective union,” said Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, First Vice-President/Treasurer of OPSEU, in kicking off the biennial OPSEU Editors’ Weekend. “That’s why OPSEU is committed to giving locals and activists the tools they need to spread the word. Editors’ Weekend is a very important aspect of that commitment.”
Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, OPSEU First-President/Treasurer, kicks off the weekend
Seasoned professionals conducted 12 workshops, including two brand-new ones, to teach members everything from web design and podcasting to social media and media relations.
Keynote speaker Janice Martell, a former president of OPSEU Local 604, told of her fight to win recognition and compensation for over 10,000 Ontario miners who were forced to breathe in aluminum dust as a condition of employment. Martell began her campaign, the McIntyre Powder Project, after her father developed Parkinson’s disease.
“Making the decision to take on this fight was difficult,” she said. “What it came down to for me were these five words: ‘If not me, then who?’ So I took it on.”
Janice Martell speaks from the heart
Martell had sound advice for activists: “As unionists, most of us don’t like bullies – and I don’t want to be a bully. It’s important that we set the right tone in our activism. So when you see an injustice, fight. Fight smart and fight fair. But fight.”
Design judge Debbie Wilson speaks about locals’ submissions
An awards banquet Saturday night recognized the excellent work of both veteran and newcomer locals. Judges Debbie Wilson and Rosemarie Bahr handed out 13 awards in total. Humber College Union scooped up many, including best website for opseu562.org, while Algonquin College, Local 415, took top prize for its newsletter, Local Lines. The other winners were:
- Best website design, www.opseu562.org, Humber Faculty Union
- Best rookie website: www.opseulocal303.org, (Paramedics of Simcoe County)
- Best cartoon: “Target & Darts”, Local Lines, Local 415, Algonquin College
- Best photo: “Executive Committee”, Local Lines, Local 415, Algonquin College
- Best original illustration: “Premier Wynne and her thought bubble”, Local Lines, Local 415
- Best newsletter design: Local Lines, Local 415, Algonquin College
- Best feature: “Humility and Humanity in the Ukraine,” Vanessa Hudson, Local 250, Bruce and Grey Paramedics
- Best editorial: “Teaching and Teetering,” Shannon MacRae, Local 242, Niagara College
- Best bargaining communication: “The union is not on my side,” anonymous, Local 562, Humber Faculty Union
- Best rookie newsletter: The Insider, Local 375, LBED Collingwood, Huntsville and Midland
- Most improved newsletter: The Front, Local 250, Bruce and Grey Paramedics
- The evening concluded on a note of hilarity, thanks to the comedic stylings of Jordan Foisy.
Comdedian Jordan Foisy proved again that humour is the answer to all our ills
Incumbents returned to inSolidarity committee
High drama was the order of the day in elections held Sunday. Delegates elected five members to the 2017-19 inSolidarity Committee, which produces OPSEU’s stewards’ newsletter, inSolidarity. While 12 members vied for positions, all four incumbents were re-elected: Craig Hadley, Scott McAllister, Katie Sample, and Maria Bauer. Former Region 7 Executive Board Member Glen Archer was also elected.
inSolidarity Committee incumbent Craig Hadley vies for members’ support
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas had intended to open the weekend but was called away to join striking St. Clair College faculty on their picket line.
“Words mean something, and they have power,” Thomas said afterwards. “The whole point of Editors’ Weekend is to help locals communicate in a way that turns union skeptics into believers and union members into activists.
“It’s a great OPSEU tradition, and I hope it continues for a long, long time.”
Editors’ Weekend will return in October 2019.