The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) launched a province-wide radio ad campaign to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job and call for action on workplace health and safety.

OPSEU’s 30-second ad, which will air for one week on 67 stations across the province, will mark the National Day of Mourning, held every year on April 28.
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas noted that this year’s Day of Mourning comes just days before the 25th anniversary of the Westray mining disaster in Nova Scotia that left 26 workers dead.
“The memory of Westray will never diminish,” said Thomas. “It serves as a powerful reminder that no worker should ever go to work fearful that they may not return home alive.”
Across Canada in 2015, 852 workers were killed on the job and more than 230,000 were injured, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
“It’s easy to say, ‘One death is one too many,’ but it’s true,” Thomas said. “The reality is that all workplace deaths and injuries are preventable, but a lack of political will to tighten enforcement of our existing health and safety laws, combined with an uncaring attitude by too many employers, add up to deadly workplaces.”
Thomas noted that death and injury statistics fail to reflect the number of workers who acquire job-related illnesses, which can go undiagnosed for years or even decades.
Despite a growing workforce, the number of public health and safety inspectors in Ontario has remained fixed at about 370 since 2004, said Neil Martin, OPSEU co-chair of the labour-management committee at the Ontario Ministry of Labour.
“More of our time is now spent investigating death and injuries and less time is spent enforcing existing health and safety regulations,” Martin said. “We still have far too many unsafe workplaces.”

UPDATE ON THE BARGAINING PROCESS

We wanted to send another bulletin to update members on the process and address recent queries.

There have been some unfortunate but necessary delays to our bargaining calendar.  The bargaining team has had 2 productive caucus days, and plan to have two more this month.  We are scheduled to meet with the employer May 5th to exchange initial proposals.

In the meantime, our Collective Agreement has expired as of March 31st.  While this means the current provisions are frozen, the bargaining unit continues to be protected by those provisions until we have negotiated a new collective agreement.

We have been hearing from members about issues they want brought forward in various ways – through the demand set survey, by email, via stewards, and by in-person conversations.  Each and every message is noted and shared amongst the team.  We encourage all members to connect with the bargaining team with any questions or concerns…we want to hear from everyone.

In the meantime, we continue to plan and we look forward to the opportunity to sit at the table and begin the negotiating process.

Please stay tuned for more information on how to support the bargaining process

COMMUNICATION IS VITAL!!
All bargaining bulletins will be emailed to you. Not receiving our updates?  Please email info@opseulocal291.com to be added to the distribution list.  No email?  Bargaining bulletins and important union information will be posted on the union bulletin boards. 
 
UNITED WE BARGAIN, DIVIDED WE BEG!
 
In solidarity,
 
J. Beckett, Julie Chambo, Merrilynn Downey, Ruth Linnen, Stephanie Jenkins-Moss