Re-Elect Julius Arscott for OPSEU / SEFPO Executive Board Member for Region 5!
Elect an honest, trustworthy, hard working activist who has demonstrated his dedication to members in Region 5!
Dear comrades and siblings,
It is with considerable excitement that I inform you I am running for re-election to the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board. It would be an honour to continue to represent the members of Toronto Region 5!
While it has been a challenging few years, it is clear, now more than ever, that our union needs folks who seek to change the status quo at the top of OPSEU/SEFPO!
Delegates will elect a new President at the OPSEU convention in April. The pandemic has aggravated multiple crises facing working people. High inflation, low (nearly frozen) wages, unaffordable housing, precarious work, and a deepening environmental crisis are the biggest issues. All of them can and must be met by an active and mobilized union membership, with a focus on defending our interests and organizing to win gains. Labour shortages in certain sectors give workers a degree of leverage that should be utilized. But the decline in union democracy, and the burning need to stop the rise of the far-right, and to put an end to concessions bargaining, underscore the need to mobilize our membership. Together we can end the retreat and actually win gains.
The pandemic and the lack of effective labour leadership in recent years show that our movement desperately needs a new direction.
If re-elected, Julius will strongly consider running for 1st Vice President/Treasurer of OPSEU!
Lets put the Movement back into the Labour movement!
About Julius:
Julius is a soon to be father, expecting his first child in May! He began his career in the Ontario Public Service as an Ontario Ranger at Machesney Lake in 2000. He subsequently worked seasonally for Ontario Parks for 7 years across central and northeastern Ontario, and has been an active member in OPSEU since 2007. He has been an Executive Board Member for Toronto Region 5 for two terms and is seeking re-election. Julius served three terms as President of Local 532, currently sits on the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks MERC, and worked on several campaigns, including efforts to halt the wage freeze in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and in the fight against privatization. He has been at the forefront of opposition to concessionary collective agreements. This means opposing wage freezes, low increases due to Bill 124, 2-tier wages and benefits, and attacks on our pensions. Julius is also a strong proponent of solidarity with the rest of the labour movement and workers everywhere. He has championed these ideas at the Ontario Federation of Labour and at the Canadian Labour Congress as a leader of the Workers' Action Movement (WAM).
As an Executive Board Member, Julius has participated in and organized many rallies and pickets for community and social justice issues and strikes. Most recently, his accomplishments include the addition of $1 million dollars to our strike fund from the 2021 budget surplus, as well as getting the union to adopt positions in support of healthcare workers against the anti-social Convoy and against Trudeau’s undemocratic Emergencies Act.
Julius believes that OPSEU is doing far too little to challenge the austerity agenda of the Conservatives and Liberals. He has been a vocal proponent of mass action against Bill 124, and for at least 10 paid sick days for all workers. He has argued for the expansion of funding and staffing of public services, including healthcare, to effectively deal with the lethal challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Julius also believes that only a class struggle movement can overcome defenders of the status quo in our union. The OPSEU Executive Board must mobilize the membership to win! The union is broken. We must fix it! The membership needs a new, positive force for change, one that is determined to break the hold of capitalist austerity and to end the downward spiral of concessions bargaining.
Re-electing Julius will ensure that the membership will have a voice on the Executive Board who will challenge the status quo -- someone who is willing to put the time and effort into building the kind of movement we need.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Julius by email at: arscottj@hotmail.com, or call: 647 728 9143
"As Region 5 Executive Board Member, Julius has been a strong advocate for all our members, including for my over 1,000 members of Local 526.
For the past 2 terms, Julius Arscott has been a voice of activism and leadership on the OPSEU Region 5 Executive Board; We need to re-elect Julius to continue the gains made for our members, and to continue to push OPSEU in the right direction”. – Christos Draxl, President Local 526
“I have known Julius for over 15 years as a leader in Local 532. He's a knowledgeable and compassionate advocate and always fights for workers' rights! I strongly recommend him for re-election to Region 5's Executive Board.” – Jackie Kendel, Treasurer, Local 532
“Tough times never last, tough people do!Julius believes in democratic bargaining; he does not believe in concessions bargaining!” – Sanjeev, President, Local 542, CO-CHAIR, LERC-MTO
