IN SOLIDARITY - OPSEU

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(Continued from page 5) 1989 separate bargaining category (separate from institutional care workers). The resolution is an arbitrated settlement in which Corrections gets its separate group and OPSEU agrees to no new categories until 1982. In the subsequent round of bargaining, COs get a 27 per cent increase. 1980 ♦ President Sean O’Flynn is sentenced to 35 days in jail for his role in the illegal corrections strike. He serves the mandatory two-thirds of the sentence in the Metropolitan Toronto West Detention Centre. ♦ Convention establishes the Provincial Women’s Committee with a formal role in the union. It has a mandate to enhance the role of women in the union, the workplace and society. 1981 ♦ Centennial College in Scarborough lays off 47 maintenance workers and contracts the work out. O’Flynn, two of the workers, OFL Secretary- Treasurer Terry Meagher and Toronto Labour Council President Wally Majesky occupy the office of Centennial’s president. After eight days, the college agrees to save the jobs. 1982 ♦ OPSEU wins paid parental leave for the Ontario Public Service. 1984 ♦ College faculty strike over quality of education on Oct.16. In early November the government legislates them back to work with an arbitrator to rule on wages and Prof. Michael Skolnick assigned to research college educational standards. Within a year they have a settlement that makes up for pay lost during the strike and a ringing endorsement from Skolnick on their quality of education issues. 1985 ♦ James Clancy is elected president of the union, succeeding O’Flynn who is moving to a position at the OFL. ♦ For the second time, college faculty walk out on strike. Again, quality of education is the key issue. ♦ The OPS launches a campaign for pension reform, pursuing joint control over pension funds. 1990 ♦ Fred Upshaw becomes the first black person to lead a major trade union when he succeeds James Clancy, who becomes president of NUPGE. Upshaw goes on to be re-elected twice. 1991 ♦ OPSEU negotiates a huge pay equity settlement for the Ontario Public Service. 1992 ♦ OPSEU negotiates the creation of the OPSEU Pension Trust. The new pension plan is jointly trusteed by the union and the government and members have input into how pension surpluses are used and how the fund is invested. It is the culmination of some 80 years of work. ♦ The convention establishes a Provincial Human Rights Committee. Its mandate is to promote a wide range of human rights throughout the union. ♦ OPSEU holds its first Editors’ Weekend, a threeday conference of skills workshops, an awards banquet and other features to encourage local union communications. It becomes an annual event. ♦ The union moves to a new head office at 100 Lesmill Road, designed and built specifically for the union. ♦ The first conference for members in the Broader Public Service (the BPS) draws 200 delegates to talk about their specific concerns. It’s a recognition that this sector of the union is growing dramatically and has its own issues. 1993 ♦ The NDP passes amendments to CECBA giving the OPS the right to strike. It also passes legislation protecting whistle-blowers, but this legislation is never proclaimed. The NDP fails to pass amendments to the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act to give part-timers in faculty and support staff the right to organize. (Continued on page 7) In Solidarity 66
(Continued from page 6) 1994 ♦ OPSEU starts publication of In Solidarity, a magazine for union stewards and other leaders. It is written, edited and organized by local union members. The editorial committee is elected at the Editors’ Weekend from among local union editors. 1995 ♦ Leah Casselman is elected OPSEU president, the first woman to hold the position, defeating three other candidates, including Fred Upshaw. ♦ Election of the Mike Harris Conservatives armed with their “Common Sense Revolution” institutes huge cuts to public services and puts OPSEU on a treadmill of reaction to an onslaught of attacks. The Conservatives speed up the process of the Legislature so much it is impossible to react to all the initiatives. With Bill 7, its new labour law, the Conservatives remove successor rights from OPS members. 1996 ♦ For the first time, in February, the OPS strikes. The five-week walkout by 55,000 members achieves language around “reasonable efforts” in the contracting out of OPS work to mitigate the loss of successor rights. In the following years, OPSEU pushes the language to the limits to save thousands of jobs. 1997 ♦ A host of arbitration awards on “reasonable efforts” thwart the Conservatives’ plans for privatization. ♦ OPSEU regional meetings elect a smaller executive board, following a decision made at the previous Year’s Convention. There are now three members from each region rather than four. 1998 ♦ A nine-week strike at Earlscourt Child and Family Centre in Toronto preserves quality care and allows the centre to attract new employees. The growth of the Broader Public Service (BPS) means more bargaining situations end up with picket lines as the union tries to achieve decent contracts with underfunded community agencies. 1999 ♦ The 2,100 members of the Association of Allied Health Professionals: Ontario join OPSEU to form the leading health care union in Ontario. This is the first time another union has merged with OPSEU. ♦ The Provincial Ombudsman agrees with OPSEU that Tory downsizing and cost-cutting is burning out staff, leaving them stressed and helpless to deal with endless lineups. The Tories have cut 18,000 civil service jobs in four years. ♦ Staff at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario strike for a first contract. ♦ The Metro Toronto Housing Authority strike for a week and achieve breakthroughs in working conditions and quality of life. 2000 ♦ In May, the water supply of Walkerton is contaminated by E. coli bacteria, which leaves seven dead and thousands made ill. The toll includes OPSEU member Betty Trushinski, a dietary services worker at the South Grey Bruce Health Centre. The tragedy highlights cuts to public services. The Ministry of the Environment had cut more than 900 staff, and eliminated 80 per cent of water sampling stations. OPSEU insists on (and gets) whistleblowing protection for members who testify at the inquiry into how it happened. ♦ OPSEU gets an agreement for 1,100 ambulance paramedics working for 41 ambulance services across the province. ♦ About 200 home care workers with the Hamilton- Wentworth Victorian Order of Nurses strike over low pay, as they lose trained workers to other employers. The VON settles after 33 days for a six per cent raise over three years, their first increase in a decade. 2001 ♦ The government introduces changes to the Public Service Act to make privatization easier, allow delegation of authority outside the public service and create new categories of temporary staff. They also (Continued on page 8) In Solidarity 77
Page 1 and 2: IN SOLIDARITY The newsletter for OP
Page 3 and 4: This point-form history of OPSEU hi
Page 5: (Continued from page 4) organizing
Page 9 and 10: Balancing Work and Life It is achie
Page 11 and 12: (Continued from page 10) employers
Page 13 and 14: Local 278 establishes ‘Hardship F
Page 15 and 16: y Len Mason, In Solidarity O ne of
Page 17 and 18: (Continued from page 16) ♦ from t
Page 19 and 20: Long time activist, Ruth Galinis re
Page 21 and 22: Products of teaching (Continued fro
Page 23 and 24: Tsunami coffee connections (Continu
Page 25 and 26: Hospital Professionals Division Str
Page 27 and 28: New ways to Welcome New Workers (Co
Page 29 and 30: Supreme Court to hear Charter chall
Page 31 and 32: Generosity, charity and the achieve

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