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“Under the current political and economic climate, all workers must stand together so their voice is heard and their rights are protected.” — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
Toronto (19 Feb. 2019) — The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) is proud to welcome its newest members who work at Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) in the Hamilton/Kitchener District, including staff at 9 different district offices. These workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining more than 300 OPSEU/NUPGE members at LAO, as a rolling sweep of the LAO workforce across Ontario chooses OPSEU/NUPGE.
When workers at LAO Hamilton/Kitchener District saw the benefits that OPSEU/NUPGE workers were getting at other LAO worksites, they reached out to see how they too could join.
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President, has no doubt that the dangers that Doug Ford poses are another reason LAO workers are stampeding to the union.
“Any Ontario public sector worker who is not unionized should realize how vulnerable they are with Ford’s reckless slash and burn agenda,” said Thomas. “Give us a call at OPSEU/NUPGE and make the same sensible choice that hundreds of legal aid staff have already made.”
OPSEU/NUPGE has achieved significant benefits for Legal Aid Ontario workers, including annual wage increases of 6 per cent by 2022. In addition, OPSEU/NUPGE’s Legal Aid Ontario members have a far more cost-effective benefits plan than those who are not part of the union.
“You simply wouldn’t get those gains without the union in Ford’s Ontario,” said Thomas. “Under the current political and economic climate, all workers must stand together so their voice is heard and their rights are protected.”