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OPSEU organizes its members by Locals, reflecting close occupational, community of interest, workplace or geographical ties. Each Local may include more than one Unit, with each Unit representing members from the same workplace. There are three types of Locals: Single-Unit Locals, representing members from the same employer and location (e.g. Ministry, Department, Board, Agency, Commission) Multi-Unit Locals are groups of members from one
employer who work at two or more locations. For organizational purposes, OPSEU divides the province into seven Regions. The union Locals are grouped into these seven Regions, representing different parts of the Province. We are members of Region 5 (the '5' in 527), the Region with the largest membership. Each Region elects three representatives to the Executive Board. The Executive Board is the governing body of the Union when the annual Convention is not in session. Delegates from each Local who attend OPSEU's Annual Convention, elect the OPSEU President and the First Vice-President / Treasurer, from among Members of the Executive Board running for these positions. Elections for President and First Vice-President / Treasurer take place every two years at Convention. The Convention in the alternate year focuses on Resolutions from Locals and other constituent parts of OPSEU, that when passed at Convention, become, or inform OPSEU policy and directions or that of the broader labour movement. Local 527 - Who we are Local 527 is a "composite" multi-workplace OPSEU Local. Local 527 represents OPSEU members who work at 400 University Ave, 505 University Ave., 393 University Avenue, 123 Edward St., 10 Adelaide Street East and 189 Yonge Street. Our Local is relatively large, with close to 500 members / dues payers. At 400 University, Local 527 includes OPS employees from the Ministry of Labour (MOL), the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI), and the Ministry of Culture (MCL). Membership at 505 University includes OPS employees from the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), and MOL's Occupational Health and Safety Branch, as well as BPS employees from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT). Members at 123 Edward St. are from MCI. Members at 393 University Avenue are from the Ministry of Health Promotion (MHP). Members at 10 Adelaide Street East are from Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT), an MCL agency, while members at 189 Yonge Street are from OHT's Elgin / Winter Garden Theatre Complex. OPS reorganization means that as of 2007 there are also a few members in the Local from the Ministry of Education and Ontario Shared Services. There are also Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) members, working in MCI and MOL legal branches. The Local's members are roughly 80% OPS and 20% BPS. Our members are covered by two collective agreements. The Local has a six-person executive and 36 full stewards and information stewards. The Local's president, Rod Sawyer is from MCL. There are three Vice Presidents: John Carter is from MCL and also represents MCI and MHP; Victoria Lernell is from MOL, and Noela Oliveira is from WSIAT. Lise Lubera, the Local's Treasurer, and Phyllis Nickerson, the Local's Secretary, both work at MOL. The Local has stewards for most floors it represents. There is always a need for additional stewards, either full stewards, or information stewards, (as well as for dedicated committee members, such as members of Joint Health and Safety Committees). Interested members should speak to another steward or a member of the local executive. Ideally, an individual will not act as steward for an entire floor, but for a work unit of ten to twelve people.
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