Tag: COVID-19
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OPSEU Member Pandemic Exposure/Illness Q & A
Many OPSEU workers continue to provide essential services in settings which place them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. The union wants to ensure that OPSEU members exercise their workplace rights and benefits if the exposure is work-related. In the event that you become concerned about your exposure, have confirmed that you are COVID positive,…
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Canadians with disabilities left out of federal coronavirus pandemic funding
“Canadians with disabilities make up 22 per cent of the general population, many of whom do not qualify for CERB,” said Krista Carr, executive vice-president of the Canadian Association for Community Living, which works on behalf of Canadians with intellectual disabilities and their families. She suggested that at least 22 per cent of the $350-million…
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OPSEU face masks available
OPSEU has its members covered during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are offering 100 per cent cotton, Canadian union-made face masks to our members at a reasonable cost while supplies last. These masks are comfortable, breathable, reusable, and they proudly display the OPSEU/SEFPO logo. They are intended for personal use in the community and are not intended…
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OPSEU applauds Ford government for testing asymptomatic OPS workers
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is applauding the Ford government’s decision to offer voluntary testing to a large number of front-line workers in the Ontario Public Service and LCBO. “This is a critical step forward to help flatten the curve,” said Thomas. “Broad-based testing is the key to getting us through this pandemic…
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Showing gratitude for Canada’s paramedic teams during Paramedic Services Week
May 24-30 marks Paramedic Services Week, centred around the theme ‘Pandemic: Paramedics on the Front Line’. This week, we celebrate, acknowledge, and express our gratitude for paramedics and the teams that support them who have been showing immense dedication and bravery at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the onset of this crisis,…
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‘Virtual’ Convention speeches from OPSEU’s 7 RVPs
Today, May 23, would have been the final day of OPSEU Convention 2020. On April 6, OPSEU’s Executive Board made the difficult decision to postpone because of the pandemic. As part of an effort to fulfill obligations to provide open and transparent reporting of OPSEU business, President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy)…
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Layoffs are ‘last resort,’ Thomas tells colleges
Layoffs should only be a “last resort,” OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas has told the CEO of the College Employer Council. “Layoffs should be a last resort,” wrote Thomas in a May 22 letter to council CEO Graham Lloyd. “These are real people with real families who live in our communities. They have made the…
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OPSEU negotiates no penalty for former OPS workers who temporarily rejoin fight against COVID-19
To help provide critical front-line services during the pandemic, OPSEU has negotiated an agreement with government to allow former OPS workers who left under the Transition Exit Initiative (TEI) to temporarily rejoin the OPS with no financial penalty. The Memorandum of Agreement, signed May 22, allows workers to voluntarily accept an OPS or Corrections position…
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OPSEU Submission re Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development Consultation on Termination and Severance Obligation
Introduction We respectfully present the Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s (OPSEU) submission to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development on termination and severance obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). This submission was created in a response to the Ministry’s consultation regarding the proposed provisions to the Act. The contents of this…
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Sector 8 Long-Term Care Newsletter: May 2020
Message from the President The COVID-19 crisis has been a challenging and unsettling time for all Ontarians, in particular our members who work in long-term care. The strength of character you are all showing, working tirelessly to take care of your clients during this crisis, is admirable; OPSEU is immensely proud to represent you. This…
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Recognizing the invaluable contributions of Personal Support Workers
May 19 marks Personal Support Worker (PSW) Day, an annual day of recognition for the tens of thousands of PSWs providing daily living assistance to our province’s most vulnerable. They give everything of themselves that they can, despite poor working conditions that have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. PSWs are the heart and…
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OPSEU Pandemic Pay Q & A
On April 25, the Ontario government announced it will provide temporary pandemic pay to frontline workers at risk of exposure to COVID-19 in congregate care settings. The initial list of eligible workers was shorter than it is now. After a series of conversations with government officials, OPSEU succeeded in expanding the list but it is not everything we asked…
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Prioritizing support for Children and Youth in our Child Welfare System
May 14 marks Children and Youth in Care Day – a day to reaffirm our commitment to supporting children who are in the care of children’s aid societies in Ontario. OPSEU is proud to represent thousands of dedicated, passionate children’s aid society workers, who ensure these children have every resource available to them to reach…
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Proposal to Bring Long-Term Care in Ontario under Government Management
OPSEU has sent the following position paper on the reform of long-term care to Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Christine Elliott and Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton. OPSEU has also issued released a news release on the paper. Introduction: The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has exposed the cracks in the health care system that…
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OPSEU makes urgent recommendations to fix COVID-19-hit long-term care
Toronto – Building on the work of the Canadian Labour Congress, OPSEU is calling on the Ontario government to run long-term care and home care as an integrated publicly run service, along with 22 other recommendations aimed at preventing another tragedy like the deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says…
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Grand River Conservation Authority senior management irresponsible: OPSEU
Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU) has diagnosed the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) with a severe case of leadership deficiency over its decision to layoff two-thirds of its workers. The GRCA announced the layoffs of its unionized workers effective May 11, despite the fact that the provincial government has classified some…