Tag: OPSEU in the News

• Riot at North Bay Jail: local press reports

  OPSEU is demanding that the government act immediately to improve living conditions at North Bay Jail in the wake of a riot Saturday evening that lasted about nine hours. An OPSEU news release issued yesterday noted that the Depresssion-era facility is far too small for the inmate population and lacks the facilities needed to treat…

  August 15, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Crisis in Corrections, OPSEU in the News

• Riot causes damage at North Bay Jail

  Media reports indicate that a riot broke out damaging a number of rooms and one correctional officer was allegedly taken to hospital. Steve White, President of OPSEU Local 616, blames a lack of funding for situations escalating like this one did. Read the full article at BayToday.ca. Related: OPSEU in the News

  Andy Pedersen

  August 14, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Crisis in Corrections, OPSEU in the News

• Thomas: long-term care privatization stinks

  More than a dozen of the former Wardens of Grey County wrote an open letter on Aug. 2 criticizing the current Grey County Council for voting to privatize long-term care. The past wardens said "something smells," and according to 98 The Beach, OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says that smell is the "stench of privatization." Related:…

  August 9, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• Vanthof writes Wynne about LCBO closure in Larder Lake

  On August 3, 2017, John Vanthof, MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane, wrote an open letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne regarding the recent closure of the LCBO outlet in Larder Lake, which is about 35 kilometres southeast of Kirkland Lake. In his letter, Mr. Vanthof underscores the vital importance of an LCBO outlet for Larder Lake, which is…

  August 9, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Closure of beloved North York shelter leaves women in lurch, laid-off staff say

  After 33-years, North York shelter scheduled for demolition and rebirth, but laid-off workers worry about gaps in service during interim. Read the full article in Toronto Metro. Related: OPSEU in the News

  August 9, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• ‘Patients will literally die’: Times when no ambulances available on the rise

  When people in Hamilton frantically dial 911, increasingly, no ambulance crews are free to respond. Dozens of times already this year, the Hamilton Paramedic Service has registered "code zero" incidents, where there is only one — or zero — ambulances across the service's entire fleet available for a call. Read the full story on the CBC website.…

  August 4, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• We Own It town hall inspires Brant residents to fight privatization

  Dozens of people in Brant are joining forces to fight privatization. According to Brantnews.com, the group came together during a meeting co-sponsored by We Own It. “From hydro through to developmental services, through to our prisons, through to health care, we all see these changes every day," said We Own It mobilizer Jeremy Thibodeau.  “We need to…

  August 4, 2017

  Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• We Own It supports Brockville Pride

  500 people marched in Brockville's sixth annual Pride parade on July 15. As the Brockville Records and Times reports, We Own It was there in support. “We’re just here as allies supporting Pride and trying to get our message out to the community,” said We Own It mobilizer Dave Doran. Related: OPSEU in the News  

  July 28, 2017

  Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• Reminding the premier: We Own It

  We Own It mobilizers greeted Premier Kathleen Wynne during her tour on July 27 of the Chatham-Kent Museum. As reported by the Chatham Daily News, Jordan McGrail asked why the province is selling off an asset that puts money into the provincial coffers. The exchange was also covered by Blackburn News, Chatham Voice, and News…

  July 28, 2017

  Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• OPSEU calls out NPCA ‘bullying’

  A faction of two dozen Ontario Public Service Employees Union protesters gathered outside the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation early last Wednesday morning to voice their disappointment and outrage with the actions of the Board of Directors at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, who were meeting inside. Read the full article on The Voice of…

  Andy Pedersen

  July 27, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Sudbury, North Bay YMCA contract talks heat up

  The union representing the YMCA workers in Sudbury and North Bay says time is running out to reach a first contract. In a release Tuesday, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) accused management at the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario of dragging their heels in negotiations. Read the full story from the Sudbury Star. Related:…

  Andy Pedersen

  July 26, 2017

  Bargaining, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Niagara Conservation Authority’s workplace is unhealthy – Ontario Public Services Employees Union survey

  More than 85 per cent of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) workers say their workplace is harmful to mental health, according to a stress survey conducted by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Read the full article on NiagaraAtLarge.com. Related: OPSEU in the News

  July 20, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Health and Safety, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Faculty want education quality control

  The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) asked Ontario's Labour Ministry this week to appoint a conciliator in its contract negotiations with the College Employer Council when talks stalled after just three days. Kevin MacKay, a member of OPSEU's provincial bargaining team, said the sticking point is the union's demand for a senate to make…

  Andy Pedersen

  July 13, 2017

  Bargaining, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Australia’s We Own It scores big win

  One of OPSEU's international partners in the fight against privatization has scored a huge victory, leading a successful fight against a P3 scheme to expand a hospital in Australia. Thanks to the Australian We Own It campaign's strong community organizing, the local government has decided to keep the expansion public. The Health Services Union of…

  July 6, 2017

  Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• Simcoe County New Path workers take step toward job action

  Unionized workers at New Path Youth and Family Services could go on strike later this month. The Ministry of Labour issued a no board report — basically, notice that attempts at conciliation have failed — at the request of employees at the government-funded mental health centre recently, a move that could trigger strike or lockout…

  July 6, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Gift cards or pay raise? New Path workers in Barrie want a raise

  Workers at New Path Youth and Family Services are poised to go on strike after the union says management offered gift cards instead of a pay raise. Some of the 86 workers held an information picket Wednesday outside the agency's head office on Ferris Lane to inform the public about the labour sitiation and the…

  July 6, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News

• Ottawa jail fixes should be model for Ontario, union says

  Measures taken in recent months by the provincial government to improve conditions at the Ottawa jail have proven successful enough that they should be considered for all facilities in Ontario, according to the union for correctional officers. Read the full story on the CBC website. Related: OPSEU in the News

  July 4, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Crisis in Corrections, OPSEU in the News

• Smokey says: We can still save Grey Gables!

  OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas was on Owen Sound's Midweek with Murdoch on June 28, giving kudos to all the Grey County citizens who are fighting so hard against the privatization of their long-term care. "My mom was in private for-profit care," Thomas said. "It was $3,300 a month and she got very little care.…

  June 28, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Fighting Privatization, OPSEU in the News, We Own It

• Suicide attempts spike amid Ontario prison system overhaul

  At a time when Ontario prison officials have vowed to take a more humane approach to inmate care, the province has recorded a significant rise in the number of suicide attempts in its correctional facilities. Over the past decade, provincial institutions have averaged 106 suicide attempts a calendar year. In 2016, that number has already…

  June 27, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  Crisis in Corrections, OPSEU in the News

• Part-time hours one of the biggest issues for LCBO employees

  Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President, joined Breakfast Television to talk about the LCBO strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Monday. The fact 84 per cent of LCBO workers are part-time is bringing these negotiations to the brink of a strike. Watch the full interview on City TV’s Breakfast Television

  Andy Pedersen

  June 23, 2017

  Bargaining, Campaigns, Media

  OPSEU in the News, Strike