Tag: COVID-19
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OPSEU Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, Premier Ford and Minister Romano re Financial Support for Post-Secondary Institutions
May 8, 2020 The Right Honourable Justin TrudeauOffice of the Prime Minister80 Wellington StreetOttawa, ON K1A 0A2justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca The Honourable Doug FordPremier of OntarioLegislative BuildingQueen’s ParkToronto ON M7A 1A1premier@ontario.ca The Honourable Ross RomanoMinistry of Colleges and Universities5th Floor438 University Ave.Toronto, ON M7A 2A5ross.romano@pc.ola.org Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Premier Ford and Minister Romano: We understand from media…
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On VE Day, we commit to rebuilding the Canada so many died for
Seventy-five years ago, today, May 8, Canadian soldiers and all their loved ones back home celebrated a momentous victory: Victory in Europe. Our forebears suffered unspeakable pain and suffering to earn that victory. Nearly one in 10 Canadians served during the Second World War. More than 55,000 returned from the front lines injured – another…
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OPSEU President speaks to CP24 about LCBO expanding hours of operation
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas spoke to CP24 on Wednesday, May 6 about concerns with the LCBO’s decision to expand store hours on the Victoria Day long weekend. Thomas said the LCBO has refused to consider offering staff a pay bump despite the fact that many other retailers have already given one to essential workers…
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LCBO threatens legal action against OPSEU for standing up for its members
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the LCBO is going down a road it will quickly regret, by mindlessly and impetuously threatening legal action against his union. After a series of public releases in which OPSEU called out the Crown Corporation’s senior management for numerous pandemic-related issues, including not being proactive regarding health…
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Pandemic pay for all frontline healthcare workers
Get the recognition you deserve. The Ford Government is providing pandemic pay for thousands of Ontario professionals working on the front lines during COVID-19. Thoughtlessly, however, thousands more who are also risking their lives providing essential health care services have been excluded from this compensation. Send a message to Premier Ford, and Ministers Christine Elliott…
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OPSEU demands LCBO bosses prioritize recognition for workers over their bonuses
TORONTO – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is demanding that LCBO senior management put recognition for their workers ahead of padding their own executive bonuses. The Crown corporation has announced to employees that it will be expanding hours just in time for the May long weekend. OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says CEO George…
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OPSEU Calls for Federal/Provincial Action Plan to Address Post-Secondary Tuition Support for Students
Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is calling on the federal and provincial governments to work cooperatively towards a national action plan addressing full tuition support for post- secondary students for the upcoming academic year. Ontario’s colleges and universities face an uncertain future with potential drops in enrollment of both Canadian and…
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COVID-19 has taught us a lot about ourselves – for the better
As hopefully we are starting to come out the COVID-19 crisis, we should pause to think about what is getting us through this now, and how we can use it to solve other challenges in the future. Determination, kindness, understanding, and humility come to mind when I think of the past two months. Sure, there…
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After the pandemic, imagine the possibilities
Imagine life after the pandemic. We realize how impossible that might seem. Right now, most of us are just focused on the day-by-day, hour-by-hour, even minute-by-minute. How can I make sure I have the protective equipment I need for tomorrow’s shift? What can I do to keep my kid busy during the next Zoom…
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COVID-19: Taking a Huge Toll on our Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic is casting a shadow over Mental Health Week, which is May 4-10. While attention has focused on the virus’s effect on physical health, experts have sounded the alarm on its impact on our mental health. As Ed Arvelin, chair of OPSEU’s Mental Health and Addictions Division, explains in the video: Mental Health…
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OPSEU demands Kinark Child and Family Services redeploy staff to frontlines instead of issuing unnecessary layoffs
TORONTO – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is demanding Kinark Child & Family Services management obey the Ontario government’s direction to redeploy mental health workers to the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, instead of using the pandemic as an excuse for unnecessary layoffs. “This Employer’s actions are downright irresponsible,” said OPSEU President Warren…
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To All the Front-line Workers: Thank you and Solidarity on May Day
In Canada, we celebrate Labour Day on the first Monday of every September. But that isn’t the only day set aside to recognize the historic struggles and gains made by workers and their unions. Today, May 1, millions of workers and organizations around the world are celebrating International Workers’ Day, which is also known as…
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Prioritizing workplace safety during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond
May 3-9 marks North American Occupational Safety and Health week, an important chance to raise awareness on the importance of safe workplaces. This year, with the onslaught of COVID-19, we have all been reminded about the importance of safety in coping with this crisis. Health and safety measures in our workplaces are necessary to reduce…
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Join the online Day of Action to fix Long Term Care on May 1
Dear members and supporters, On Friday, May 1, the Ontario Health Coalition, OPSEU and our community partners across Ontario will be holding a virtual Day of Action, calling on Doug Ford to make improvements to Long-Term Care in Ontario. We invite all members to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Long-Term Care…
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We want to hear from you; take our COVID-19 workplace survey
To get a better understanding of the working conditions, and emotional and physical wellness of our members during COVID-19, OPSEU is inviting you to take part in a survey about your experience working during this pandemic. We think it is important to document a wide variety of workers’ experiences. So we worked with other unions…
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Sun op-ed: Pandemic teaches us to overcome challenges together
In a Toronto Sun op-ed, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the pandemic has taught us that “we have to take the profit motive out of vital and essential public services.” “The long-term care tragedy has sadly driven home that message,” he writes. Here’s the full text of President Thomas’s op-ed: Pandemic teaches us to…
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OPSEU succeeds in expanding pandemic pay
I am pleased to announce that after a series of conversations with government, pandemic pay will now be expanded to more frontline workers, including: Respiratory therapists Paramedics Public health nurses All addictions and mental health workers who, in a congregate setting, serve the same functions as workers in acute-care hospital settings previously noted as receiving…
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Message from OPSEU about the provincial government’s pandemic pay announcement
Over the weekend, the Ontario government announced a $4 per hour pandemic pay increase for certain workers who are in front-line jobs and potentially exposed to COVID-19. We commend Premier Ford and Prime Minister Trudeau for this gesture that recognizes the risks many of our members on the front-lines are taking and the job they…