This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
“It’s great that St. Lawrence students will get improved libraries, but it makes no sense that the college is robbing them of the expert guidance they need in order to get the most out of them.” — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
B.C. Premier John Horgan is looking to recognize many of these people himself and has created the Above and Beyond Awards to acknowledge acts of selflessness and bravery during the fire season.
“Faculty are the real leaders trying to improve the college system, and I am immensely proud that we stood up for fairness for all faculty and a higher quality of education for our students.” — JP Hornick, Chair of the OPSEU college faculty bargaining team
The conference will be a chance for community partners, policy makers, researchers, activists, survivors, and others to engage with the shelter sector.
"They’ve chosen OPSEU/NUPGE because it’s the union best equipped to defend and advance the interests of mental health workers who, in turn, give their all to equip vulnerable individuals with the means to participate fully in the community." — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
“This historic Supreme Court ruling expands protection to workers against harassment and discrimination to include virtually all who are on the worksite. This ruling recognizes the new reality of modern workplaces and recognizes that harassment can come from different sources rather than only direct superiors.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
"This report provides more evidence that austerity policies do nothing to improve the lives of British Columbians." — Stephanie Smith, BCGEU President
"I am confident that, when those ballots are counted, we will find that part-time college support staff have entrusted our union with the responsibility of improving their lives at work.” — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
"The growing body of credible evidence about income inequality is indisputable. But there is also a growing consensus among economists that inequality is not inevitable. It can be stopped if countries legislate progressive income taxes, and by aggressively investigating and stopping tax cheaters and tax avoiders." — Larry Brown, NUPGE President.
"When you look at how busy our paramedics are, I just can’t see how you could cut the service without putting lives at risk.” — Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU President
“There are some simple changes that can close the door to corporations using tax havens to avoid paying their fair share.” — Dennis Howlett, Executive Director, Canadians for Tax Fairness
By Michael Berthelot
On our own from nine to nine,
Working the press till the ink runs dry.
Ragged and exhausted, no hope in sight,
Until together combined, one force, one fight.
Nine to nine to nine at most,
In 1872, Toronto united, and a new epoch to toast.
A long time ago, and a battle won,
But unbeknownst to most, a war just begun.
A personal story by Ndutta Njoroge
The concept of unions is not new to me. Actually, I can say that unions have had a great impact in my upbringing. Growing up in the busy city of Nairobi, Kenya, I have had the pleasure of seeing unions at work and I have also had the opportunity to see how much of an impact these unions have had in my community. I will give an example that I am very familiar with.
"Our union believes in supporting communities, and we recognize that this time of year can be hard for a lot of people. If we can help in any way to make things a little bit easier, then it is a worthwhile cause." — Karen Jackson, PEI UPSE President
