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'With the McGuinty government freezing the wages of non-union employees, the only hope that hard-working women and men in this province have to try and keep pace with inflation is to join a union.' - Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
Saunt Ste. Marie (16 Dec. 2010) - Professional staff at the Sault Area Hospital have voted over 90% in favour of joining the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).
"Across the province, non-union workers are seeing the real benefits of joining a union," says OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
"With the McGuinty government freezing the wages of non-union employees, the only hope that hard-working women and men in this province have to try and keep pace with inflation is to join a union."
OPSEU already represents 239 lab professionals, pharmacy technicians and diagnostic imaging professionals at Sault Area Hospital. The new members work in various areas such as respiratory therapy, social work and occupational therapy.
"Our new members had the benefit of working alongside OPSEU members and saw first-hand how being an OPSEU member improved their working lives," Thomas says.
"They will now have the opportunity to have a real voice in addressing their concerns and working conditions."
OPSEU represents more than 16,000 hospital professionals across Ontario.
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