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.
Vote March 3-4 by more than 150 employees of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Thunder Bay (6 March 2009) - Employees at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) have voted to join the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).
NOSM is a joint initiative of Lakehead University and Laurentian University with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury. It also has multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario.
More than 150 employees — who cast ballots March 3-4 — voted 75% in favour of joining OPSEU. The new bargaining unit is comprised of office, clerical, technical and service employees working inside and outside NOSM.
Organizer Gayle Lebans worked closely with members of the OPSEU faculty unit at NOSM. The faculty association voted in June 2008 to transfer bargaining rights to OPSEU through a formal merger agreement.
“I want to thank NOSM staff for your participation in the process of choosing OPSEU as your union," Lebans said. "It was a good debate; it is now time to move forward together in a spirit of collegial cooperation to create your own strong staff union across Northern Ontario.”
The new OPSEU unit - NOSM Local 677 - will take its place among a number of university sector unions in Canada with both the staff and faculty in one or more certified bargaining units.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE