Opseu Local 340
40 King St W L1K1 1A4 Oshawa, ON, Canada

The UN has established every June 23 as #PublicServiceDay to underscore the role public services play in our communities. This year, we salute the courage and dedication of public servants, here and around the world, in fighting the #COVID19 pandemic. https://bit.ly/2CAhQ9S

Face Coverings are available. Now that we have mandatory face coverings/facemasks for certain areas in Durham, we have purchased some cloth face coverings/masks for those who wish to have one or keep one in your desk. They have non-elastic loops around your ears, are 3 layers and are very breathable. They are black and have a small opseu logo on the bottom. I've gotten some positive comments from mine at the LCBO, who are also OPSEU workers. ... Let your local steward know that you'd want one and we will gather orders up and ensure we get one to you. ...And above all, be safe, stay well.. and all the best to you and your family.

The UN has established every June 23 as #PublicServiceDay to underscore the role public services play in our communities. This year, we salute the courage and dedication of public servants, here and around the world, in fighting the #COVID19 pandemic. https://bit.ly/2CAhQ9S

Breaking news: LCBO threatens legal action against OPSEU for standing up for its members TORONTO - OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the LCBO is going... down a road it will quickly regret, by mindlessly and impetuously threatening legal action against his union. After a series of public releases in which OPSEU called out the Crown Corporation's senior management for numerous pandemic-related issues, including not being proactive regarding health and safety protocols and refusing to provide hazard pay for workers, the LCBO has served a demand letter upon the union. Thomas said CEO Dr. George Soleas should stop wasting public money on vanity legal challenges, and start thinking about and thanking his front line workers. "Dr. Soleas is an embarrassment to the CEO high-flyer club," said Thomas. "I'm so sorry you don't like the fact that we're doing our job standing up for the health and safety of our members and LCBO customers; we'll see you in court - Doctor. We look forward to Discoveries and the examination of all internal documents and emails related to labour relations throughout the pandemic. It's a perfect opportunity to right the ship of the crown jewel of Crown Corporations." Thomas added that Soleas should be on the hook for his own legal counsel. "I hope Soleas will pay for his own lawyer instead of using LCBO funds for this," said Thomas. "It's outrageous that the bosses at the LCBO would so quickly throw money at high-priced Toronto lawyers, yet they moved with the speed of molasses to bring in vital safety measures at the beginning of this pandemic, and have refused to put any funds toward a pandemic premium for essential frontline workers," said Thomas. Thomas noted that, while the LCBO has finally implemented safety measures requested by the union, it took weeks of pressure to get the Crown Corporation's leadership to act on them. Following this, the LCBO's senior management communicated a "yahoo plan" to prematurely expand business hours in anticipation of the upcoming holiday weekend. "The LCBO is a highly-profitable Crown corporation, which is well-positioned to recognize and properly care for its workers for their selfless efforts during this pandemic. C'mon George, do the right thing - at least this one time," said Thomas. -30- For more information: OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas, 613-329-1931

OPSEU Annual Convention on Hold Due to State of Emergency Today, Premier Doug Ford declared a State of Emergency in Ontario, prohibiting gatherings of over 50 p...eople. These are unprecedented times and we commend the Premier and his government for taking this important measure in the hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19. It is a necessary action to protect the people of Ontario and to ease the burden on our front-line workers. While this State of Emergency is in effect, the MTCC will be closed for the duration and we will be suspending all planning for OPSEU’s annual Convention, which is scheduled for May 21-23, 2020. Our Convention is our union’s highest-ranking authority, determining our ruling policies and constitutional motions. We’d like to emphasize that this is not a cancellation of the Convention, we are only suspending preparations until the situation becomes more clear. One of the key takeaways from this crisis has been the importance of solidarity; to come together, despite being physically apart, to protect the lives of our fellow Canadians. We cannot say how long these emergency measures will be in place, but they are necessary to flatten the curve of this pandemic. In the meantime, we encourage all of our members to keep practicing social distancing and to self-isolate if you exhibit any flu symptoms. We are all in this together; together, we will overcome this. In Solidarity, President, Warren (Smokey) Thomas First Vice-President/Treasurer, Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida

Premier Ford agrees with us and good on him: Thomas TORONTO OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is commending Premier Doug Ford for his words and actions... on Friday to fight COVID-19. I have in the past and unless there is a shift in direction, likely will have future differences with this government on most issues, said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. But I always give praise where praise is due, and yesterday the Premier spoke and acted like a leader. He put aside partisan politics, stepped up to the plate and worked with political leaders of all stripes to find ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Following a conference call with provincial and territorial Premiers and the Prime Minister, Ford said it was imperative that workers who self-isolate be supported, particularly those who don’t have the luxury of working from home. He added the province would spare no expense to support families during this difficult time. The collaborative and reassuring tone struck by the Premier, Opposition leader Andrea Horwath and Prime Minister Trudeau was music to the ears of Ontarians and indeed an entire nation. It’s what politics can aspire to be. Leading an effort to combat community spread, OPSEU was among the first large organizations in Ontario to close its offices and allow staff to work from home to serve its members. The Ontario government followed suit by announcing similar measures for its direct workforce. I’m very pleased the Premier has put aside politics because now is not the time for that, Thomas added. We’re all in this together, and the only way we’re going to fight COVID-19 is to work together. The government announcement regarding its own staff is an example for all employers during these troubled times. We are especially calling on our partners in the Broader Public Sector and Colleges and Universities to follow suit immediately. Thomas and other health care labour leaders have called on the provincial government to ensure health care workers have the full protective equipment they need when caring for patients with COVID-19. But they also need time and space to fight a potential crisis in capacity. With SARS, we learned our lesson the hard way, Thomas said. We have to do absolutely everything humanly possible to protect our health care heroes, lessen their burden, and allow them to carry out their lifesaving work. This is job one for this government. This is job one for our union. If we continue to collaborate in this way, we will prevail See more