WHO: Your OPS Unified bargaining team invites all Unified members to join Table Talk Thursdays.
WHAT IS TABLE TALK THURSDAYS: Table Talk Thursdays are Zoom sessions where YOUR bargaining team shares updates and insights with union members about ongoing negotiations and activities. Join us to stay informed and engaged with the latest news and developments.
WHERE: It happens over ZOOM.
WHEN: This happens every third Thursday of the month from 7 pm to 8 pm EDT (6 pm CDT). The next session will be December 18, 2025 at 7 pm ET.
WHY: To keep the lines of communication open and ensure members have direct access to their bargaining team!
- Join your regional Area Coordinating Group (ACG).
- Review the EES Guide
- Complete the EES Form and send it to unifiedopsbargaining@opseu.org
- Keep up to date on bargaining at OPS Unified Bargaining
- Previous Table Talk Issues
- OPS Unified Frequently Asked Questions
- Bulletins – Unified for Information
Check out our LinkTree
Key links and information for OPS Unified members including Instagram and Facebook accounts.
OPS Unified Bargaining Update: 2025 Recap
Happy Holidays OPS Unified! 2025 has been a very busy year for Bargaining. Here is a brief recap of
this year’s key achievements, challenges and next steps for 2026.
Key Achievements This Year
Member Input for Essential and Emergency Services Agreements (EESA)
The OPS Unified bargaining team, in preparation for the EESA negotiations, spent the first number of months researching, gathering data, conducting member outreach, and providing information and updates to OPS Unified members. This work will continue throughout the EESA negotiation process.
Employer Disclosure Received (June 2025)
The employer, after many requests, finally provided disclosure for EESA negotiations on June 4, 2025. The disclosure contained more than 3,200 documents. Receiving these documents enabled the team to move forward with face-to-face negotiations with the employer beginning in July 2025.
Record Member Participation
Unified members completed the demand-set survey through the summer and into the fall. The Team received over 9,400 completed surveys – This is the highest participation rate in OPS Unified bargaining history.
The team received the final report back from Stratcom at the end of November and is now analysing all the data. This data will be used as a basis for our demands when we move into issues bargaining
OPS Unified Mobilizing Team
From January to August, the OPSEU/SEFPO budget provided for 14 mobilizers to be booked off to support workplace engagement. In August 2025, the Board approved an increase to 27 mobilizers to support workplace engagement and organizing efforts.
OPS Unified mobilizers have been doing amazing work, attending workplaces, visiting locals, holding events, and engaging with members across the province. Mobilizers were instrumental during the Demand Set process, providing members with the information they needed to complete their surveys and have their voices heard! They have been encouraging members to sign their membership cards and update their information in the Member Portal to ensure they receive the important updates from OPSEU/SEFPO and your Bargaining Team.
Member Actions
The OPS Unified Bargaining Team and Mobilizers have been promoting recurring member events that show increasing power as we prepare for issues bargaining. Black Shirt Wednesday has been a growing success with the consistent help of mobilizers participating, getting pictures and spreading the word!
Your Bargaining Team has continued the monthly Table Talk Zoom meetings, seeing increasing member participation. There has been an increase in social media updates and Area Coordinating Group (ACG) chats that keep members connected and informed.
Challenges
2025 has been a tough year as we deal with the fallout of decades of below inflation wage increases and attacks on worker rights. We have navigated through government disruptions – including the unexpected March 2025 election – and the excessive delay in receiving disclosure which has slowed overall progress.
The Employer’s Return to Office (RTO) mandate changed the dialogue for many members and has caused, and continues to cause, stress and uncertainty. The issue is being addressed through the Central Employee Relations Committee (CERC) and individual member grievances, as OPSEU/SEFPO considers this a Labour Management issue.
Moving into 2026, the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board had to make some very hard decisions when it came to the Budget requests. Based on current information, we will not have a full complement of mobilizers for the year. The Bargaining Team is strategizing as to how to use the allocated money for mobilizing in 2026 – stay tuned.
What’s Ahead in 2026
The top of the list for your Bargaining Team is completing the EESA negotiations with the employer. By completing these negotiations now, we are ensuring that we will be in a more powerful position when we enter into Issues Bargaining.
We will also be analyzing and developing strategies based on the information received from the Demand Set Survey in preparation for Issues Bargaining.
In 2026, we will continue to engage and empower OPS Unified members by increasing visually collective actions, sharing information and updates as they become available and showing our employer that 30,000 Unified members are ready to stand together!
The progress OPS Unified has made in 2025 is because of YOU!
Thank you to all of the locals and offices that submitted their EESAs information in 2024 and early 2025; this information has been, and continues to be, invaluable as we negotiate with the employer.
A sincere thank-you to all the mobilizers for all the work that you have done. You have brought our members closer together and engaged them. Your work has been extraordinary.
To all the members and staff, thank you for your ongoing participation and support. Your solidarity continues to drive this round of bargaining.
As the year winds down, it’s important that we continue to show strong support for our OPS Unified Bargaining Team.
We encourage everyone to wear black T-shirts on Wednesdays and to keep a copy of the Collective Agreement on your desk. These simple actions send a clear message to the employer that we stand united.
Additionally, you may choose to ask your employer to view your corporate file, reinforcing your commitment to transparency and awareness of your rights.
Together, we demonstrate our solidarity and our dedication to a fair and respectful bargaining process.
Stay tuned for action dates and materials.
What are you Unified for?
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“UNIFIED FOR bargaining a better contract, to stop privatization and strengthen public services.”
“Tell us what you’re Unified For”
In OPS Unified, I start with proposals, pass through tension, end in a handshake—or a strike, after a few years of enforcement; I start again no matter what. What am I?
Answer: The OPS Unified bargaining cycle.
Get Unified!
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In Solidarity,
On behalf of the OPS Unified Bargaining team
Amanda Usher — Chair
Leslie Aiston — Vice Chair
Newsletter Issue #22