Toronto The leadership of nearly 700 local unions from across Ontario are meeting in Toronto tomorrow, to approve an action plan aimed at protecting public services and jobs, as the McGuinty Liberals move at breakneck speed to transform and re-invent government.
After more than a year in government, the McGuinty Liberals have reneged on their election promises to re-invest in public services. Instead, Liberal ministers are publicly denigrating workers, under-funding hospitals leading to thousands of layoffs, moving ahead with a menu of public private partnerships and refusing to protect retirees who are members of the OMERS pension plan.
The union leaders, who collectively represent more than 220,000 Ontario workers and who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), are set to approve a militant fightback campaign that includes engaging in political work stoppages province-wide.
Youre not fooling anyone Dalton. The signals are all there. You have no intention of rebuilding public services. It doesnt matter what you or your ministers choose to call it re-inventing government, transformative change, restructuring its just privatization and downsizing by another name.
When the leadership of this union vote tomorrow, let it be a warning to this government that any attack on CUPE members collective agreements, whether through the front door or the back door, will mean widespread labour unrest, says Sid Ryan, the Ontario president of CUPE.
- WHO:
CUPE leadership representing 220,000 workers- Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario
- Barry ONeill, President, CUPE British Columbia (Speaking about legislative attacks on B.C. workers and the general strike in B.C. last year)
- Murray Gold, Lawyer with Koskie Minsky (Update on CUPEs court case against OMERS)
- WHAT:
CUPE provincial leadership meeting to vote on militant action plan - WHERE:
Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen Street West, Toronto The Grand Ballroom - WHEN:
Friday, February 25, 2005 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.**
**Vote on action plan will be in the afternoon session beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Media is invited to attend the afternoon portion of the meeting.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario - (416) 209-0066
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications - (416) 578-8774