OPSEU called. And thousands of members picked up.
Across northern and eastern Ontario on Sept. 20, members wanted to get in on the conversation about pensions – how to safeguard their retirement savings and secure pensions for those who don’t have them. In OPSEU’s first-ever Telephone Town Halls, members had the chance to listen, ask questions, and vote on poll questions.
Callers did not mince words when they heard details of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s plan to take control of public-sector pension plans in a bid to cut the government’s costs.
“This is pre-meditated profiteering,” said OPSEU Region 5 Vice-President Nancy Pridham. “He wants to take successful, well-managed funds that are jointly controlled by workers and employers and are very successful, and mix them together with poorly-run employer-controlled funds. And he wants Bay Street money managers who only care about profits to take over from worker trustees who have the interests of members at heart.”
Pridham and OPSEU Region 2 Vice-President Mike Grimaldi are leading OPSEU’s pension fight. They joined OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who moderated the town hall meetings.
Callers were concerned about their pensions for current and future retirees, including younger workers who will be hit hard if the government goes ahead with proposed changes.
Many callers asked what they can do to push the government back. A Town Hall poll showed members are motivated to fight back. Eight of 10 audience members said they will take at least two actions to push McGuinty to abandon his attack on pensions and instead take positive action to secure pensions for more people. All audience members said they will do something.
“That’s exactly why we’re going to win this fight,” said Thomas.
OPSEU members are already lobbying and e-mailing their MPPs through this web site. They’re putting the message out that pensions belong to the workers who paid for them, they don’t trust McGuinty with their life savings, and McGuinty should solve Ontario’s problems, not create new ones.
Most people don’t have pensions where they work, including many OPSEU members, said Thomas.
“We want pensions for everybody. And we want defined benefits pensions for everybody so they know exactly what they will earn when they retire,” said Thomas.
Many callers asked how it’s legal for the government to take over these plans. OPSEU has retained lawyers to be prepared for legal battles if necessary, but according to Grimaldi, it may not come to that. Opposition to their plan has already forced the government to shelve its plans to introduce legislation this fall. Politicians are sensitive to political pressure, Grimaldi says, and nothing is more powerful than for people to stand up, hold their ground, and speak out.
“If the Liberals try to legislate (a takeover of pension plans), there is certainly a question as to whether it is legal,” said Grimaldi. “But rather than waiting for legal battles, the safest way is for our members to fight off this attack so the government knows if they touch our pensions, they won’t be electing a member from Cornwall to Kenora.”
Thoroughly decent posting on McGuinty pension attack “pre-meditated profiteering,” thousands
of members hear | A Matter of Trust / Une question de confiance!
!
Always keep blogging..
I have been out on strike two times. If Dalton thinks that i won’t strike again for a third time he has another thing coming. KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY PENSION DALTON!
thank you for working hard to protect what we’ve worked so hard to accomplish – secure pension trusts. i will be emailing my mpp about this matter.
I worked hard for 32 years and retired in November 2011. I am satisfied that my pension is safe and secure and that I will continue to collect it at the same rate until I die. It scares me to think of the government taking over – what will they do then? Decide I’m getting too much and reduce my pension? Limit the number of years I can collect? We have to fight this, folks, we can’t let McGinty and his henchmen get their grubby paws on our pension!
Hi,
As important as tonight’s town hall meeting is, I will not be able to attend/listen in. Please let me know if you will be recording the meeting and how I may be able to access it.
Thank you.
Natalie Paes
What unbelieveable gall McGuinty has to even consider such a thing given the record of fiscal incompetence they have demonstrated to date! I did write to my local representatives as well as their provincial counterparts. I was more than clear that if they were to proceed with this agenda, they could count on an uprising against them such as they have never seen. My thanks to the OPSEU exec for their leadership on this issue. There is strength in solidarity.
Opseu pensions have never done better since they were taken over by OPSEU in the late 80′s and out of the hands of government. Our pension plan should remain in our control and we will make sure that we maintain control of it and help everyone else have a pension like ours.
Now that is an excellent plan! I would whole heartedly support this!
A Response To The Pension Reform Proposal By The Ontario Government
Since Premier Dalton McGuinty and his party are proposing an overhaul of the pension plans in Ontario, in order to ensure fairness, I propose that we introduce pension reform on a pilot project basis. The pilot project would be as follows:
■ A committee/commission will be elected by registered Ontario voters. It will consist exclusively of members of the middle class and working class – the people who actually do the work of producing products and delivering services.
■ The committee/commission will take charge, evaluate, manage, and make changes as necessary of the pension plans for members of the Ontario Legislature and for senior management in Ontario government ministries and crown corporations.
■ The duration of the pilot project to be 20 years to account for and smooth out the effects of upturns and downturns in the economic cycle.
■ The conclusion of the pilot project will be followed by an evaluation period of 5 years to study the effects of any changes made to the pension plans and to produce a report on the project.
Concurrent with the pilot project in Ontario, another pilot project of equal scope will be conducted to address the pension plans of members of the House of Commons, the Senate, and senior management in federal government ministries and crown corporations.
■ The pilot project will commence and conclude simultaneously with the Ontario pilot project.
■ The committee/commission for this pilot project will be elected by registered Canadian voters. It will consist exclusively of members drawn from the middle class and working class with an equal number of members representing each province and territory in Canada.
■ The committee/commission will take charge, evaluate, manage, and make changes as necessary of the pension plans for members of the House of Commons, the Senate, and senior management in federal government ministries and crown corporations.
■ The duration of the pilot project to be 20 years to account for and smooth out the effects of upturns and downturns in the economic cycle.
■ The conclusion of the pilot project will be followed by an evaluation period of 5 years to study the effects of any changes made to the pension plans and to produce a report on the project.
Once the two pilot projects and the subsequent evaluation periods have been concluded and the ensuing reports presented and analyzed, politicians at both the provincial and federal levels of > government will be better informed and equipped to seriously discuss any possible changes to pension plans affecting Ontario and Canadian residents.
Let us all declare WAR ! Just a David and his Valiant warriors in the Good Book -Bible did in the old testament. He slaughtered all of them even their oxen.
I did join in on the Town Hall Teleconference last night and found it to be an excellent source of information and inspiring to hear that OPSEU members are actively involved in this battle against the McGuinty government. I have been a member for over 30 years and just retired on August 30 and as you all know the strike in 1996 was, in part, a fight for our Pension Plan – I am more than willing to fight again and I have submitted emails to McGuinty and his cronies as well as our Kingston MPP John Gerretsen demanding – Hands Off My Pension! I will speak out to anyone who will listen throughout my community to let them know we deserve our pension and they deserve one as well!
I’m sorry I missed the Town Hall phone meeting yesterday evening. P;ease contact me again when there is another one.
I will be retiring next December – 2013 – and I want to know what’s what.
Guy
Past president, lecal 426