OPSEU Local 102

Mission was.....to hold the line and get a fair deal with this government. ENOUGH REALLY IS ENOUGH! These guys gave themselves a 29% raise after the strike of 1996 and gave us nothing. Now in 2002, just BEFORE the strike, they gave themselves another raise, only this time it was 39.9%. That raise alone, is more than most employees make in a year. They treat unclassified employees like crap and won't allow them to have benefits or a pension. Some of these people have been on a perpetual contract for 24 years. Now, come on, common sense would say after the first 2 years that their jobs should be permanent. But, they treat the Court Staff in particular with such distain and disrespect that in reality what the government is doing to them is taking away their right to a stable life. How can you go to work for 24 years not knowing that you have any guarantee of anything. These people work full time hours. They try to pit staff against staff (although this is not the only place in the government that this mentality exists, it's #101 in their How to Be a Manager Handbook) and this really is abuse. It's ironic that, the people they have deemed essential, are the ones they keep on contract, but the courts can't run without them. If this was in the private sector and the employees took the employer to court over this issue, the court would rule in the employees favour. This unclassified issue is a BIG ONE. These people should all be made should be made classified and given the same rights as everyone else that works for the government. Until this issue is addressed the strike will not end. Pensions are a big issue as well because, simply put, the government wants to take control of our pension again (we already, in a previous contract, won the right to manage our own pension fund because the government managed it so poorly). There are people that can retire under factor 80 and thereby paving the way for new blood. The government doesn't want that. What they haven't told you is that they are incompatant. You did know about Walkerton and Dudley George, right? They need the present employees to stay and teach others how to do these jobs they have piled on us and most of it is technical and not something you can learn overnight. If we were to all leave our jobs, the government would be in BIG BIG trouble. If you think for one moment that, the elected officals know how things work or even have a clue what work needs to be done or even how to do it, you are only kidding yourself. It's the employees that actually DO the work. Case in point, if we aren't important, then why is it that almost all government services are shut down. It's because the highly paid managers can't run it. Some of them only know how to turn on the lights and make coffee. This is a government that is so arrogant that when the Supreme Court of Ontario ruled that the Tories had no right to sell off a public service, Eves out right said, he'd just change the law, hold the meetings but will not listen to anyone. The hidden agenda is, they need the money to pay off their raises. If the government was really fair, they would give back the 39.9% raise and take away their pensions and benefits because after all, they are more of a contract type of employee than the ones they have left dangling for 24 yrs. These guys are a dictorship and think about Walkerton, the double standards and how mad they have made you regardless of which side of the fence you're on. Think about that the next time you vote ONTARIO.

LOCAL 102

PRESIDENT: Nancy Labadie

1ST VICE PRESIDENT: Tracy Rath

2ND VICE PRESIDENT: Jayne McKenzie

TREASURER: Dave Crowe

Secretary - Tina Stevens

Membership Secretary - Nancy Anderson