OPS workers prepare strike
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10 SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 2015 round of bargaining, in the absence of a for mal agreement by the leaders of the unions concerned.
Efforts continue with information pickets at MPP offices and elsewhere, unit meet ings in the workplace, “wear blue” days, and large public demonstrations. On Feb. 17, in the frigid early morning after a long weekend, over 800 members and supporters demonstrated in front of the Ontario legis lature in Toronto. OPSEU has generated a public campaign focussing on the fight to protect public services, a popular idea. There are growing signs of solidarity with public sector workers, with one journalist asking Ontario Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne after the demo why she would not increase OPSEU member wages—a ques tion unheard of in recent memory, implic itly supporting public sector workers. At the time of writing, the employer has put “Essential Services” on the table, a pro cess designed by law to determine who gets to strike and who stays on the job in the event of a strike. This typically takes sev eral months to complete. It is expected to take even longer thanks to a recent federal court ruling that benefits organized labour. A delay in negotiations is good for OPSEU, providing time to mobilize the membership after more than a decade of members being put to sleep by the labour leadership. The latest strike took place in 2002. It also gives members time to prepare financially for a strike.
The coming of warmer weather helps too. The PanAm and ParaPan American games set for Toronto in July will put this struggle in the global spotlight, highlight ing the fight against capitalist austerity here, and connecting it to similar fights around the world. A big battle with public sector unions is something that the Liberal Party does not want. The more pressure on Pre mier Wynne, the better. Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau needs votes in Ontar io to do well in the October federal election. The provincial Liberals have never faced a strike by the OPS.
Union activists should remain vigilant in backing their demand for no concessions. The union leadership has been all too will ing to accept major concessions in past rounds of bargaining. The tone this round is a product of a membership outcry. The OPS is the largest provincial public sector bar gaining unit in the country. A defeat could be catastrophic for all public sector unions. The reason the proposed cuts go so deep is that management thinks it can get away with it. That underlines the importance of building the united front with other unions, including the Ontario Federation of Labour, which OPSEU should rejoin immediately. The way to win is to protect public services, in unison with community and social jus tice groups, culminating in a province-wide general strike against austerity. n