Photo: Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU)
Full Support of OPSEU Workers Striking to Protect College Education in Ontario
Dear Sister Hornick,
On behalf of the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU), I am writing to express our full solidarity and unwavering support for the courageous members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union who are on strike for decent wages, protecting jobs and improving working conditions. The CCU stands shoulder to shoulder with OPSEU in this struggle, which is not only about fairness at the bargaining table, but also about the future of public education in Ontario and the dignity of working people.
We know that OPSEU members are not striking out of choice, but out of necessity. For years, college workers in Ontario’s public sector have been asked to do more with less—providing vital services with shrinking budgets, stagnant wages, and growing workloads. The result has been a workforce stretched to the breaking point. The current strike is a direct response to these unacceptable conditions and the chaos Premier Ford has created, and your members are right to demand real change.
At the CCU, we know well the challenges faced by education workers in the public sector. That’s because our federation includes thousands of members who work in the university sector across Canada, where austerity, privatization, contracting out, and managerial hostility have become all too common. Like OPSEU members, they face growing workloads, job insecurity, and inadequate wages, even as their work becomes more essential to the functioning of our society. We understand the frustrations that have led your members to the picket lines, and we share in the determination to win a better future for workers.
That is why the CCU is proud to stand with OPSEU during this strike. We will share your message of fairness and solidarity with our members across the country, and we will encourage them to lend their support in every way possible—whether that be joining picket lines, speaking out in the media, or pressuring politicians to do the right thing.
Sister Hornick, please convey to your members that they are not alone. The eyes of the labour movement are on Ontario right now, and countless workers from coast to coast are drawing inspiration from OPSEU’s resolve. Every act of solidarity is part of a larger movement to build a fairer economy—one where workers are respected, unions are valued, and public education is protected.
In Solidarity,
Gregory Ball
President, Confederation of Canadian Unions
president@ccu-csc.ca
www.ccu-csc.ca
