KINGSTON, Ont. - The new president of one of Ontario's largest public-sector unions says his win solidifies the concept that the union be "politically'' agnostic by not having ties to any one political party.
"We will not practise partisan politics,'' said Warren Thomas, 54, a longtime union activist and registered practical nurse from Kingston who was elected in April.
In the past, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union had been closely associated with the New Democratic Party. At the 2006 convention, delegates voted against a motion that would have formalized ties with the party.
Thomas, better known as Smokey, said he will sit down with provincial leaders to get a feel for each party's platform.
Past performance won't be considered, he said. The primary factor will be the platform each party provides and what each would do for his union.
"The members' interests are first,'' he said.
Other unions in the province have taken the same stand as Thomas, said Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. However, the union should be leery of giving everyone a clean slate.
"We absolutely oppose the Tories. We know where they took us,'' Ryan said. "I would put it to Smokey that he would find out very quickly where the Tories (will go) because there was no union that suffered more (during the Harris regime) than OPSEU.''
Thomas says he wants to see different styles of negotiations, including a problem-solving method that could avoid conflict and strikes.
"Fighting is the easiest thing to do,'' he said. "Getting along is harder.''
However, an extra $800,000 was put into the grievance fund this year, bringing the available war chest to about $7 million, he said.
But Thomas takes over the union with internal grievances as well. Some within the union locally were not happy with the leadership Casselman displayed during her tenure. Under Thomas, they say, that relationship between head office and the local unions should change.
"This region suffered a great deal'' under Casselman, said Kathy Smith, president of Local 468, which represents about 750 government workers in Kingston.
Thomas, a nurse by profession, said he never aspired to the top job at OPSEU, which represents about 120,000 employees of the provincial government and community colleges, as well as more than 500 broader public-sector employers.
He started working at the union after being asked to fill in for a local president who was sick.
Slowly he took on more responsibilities, eventually becoming the union's second-in-command as first vice-president and treasurer. It was a role he held for six years.
Then, when outgoing president Leah Casselman announced her retirement at the 2007 convention, three candidates emerged to replace her. Thomas, better known as Smokey, came out on top, beating out Nancy Pridham, 42, of Toronto and David Rapaport, 59, also of Toronto.
"He's real,'' said Bob Eaton, a regional vice-president for OPSEU.
"It's a welcome change of pace.''
Eaton recalls a time when Thomas went to bat with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty during labour negotiations. Once formalities were over, Thomas began to speak.
"You know, Dalton, I love peace, but we'll go to war if we have to,'' Eaton recalls Thomas saying.
"I would suggest he's a guy that political leaders don't want as an enemy,'' Eaton said.
At the convention in late April, Thomas spoke to the delegates. In his speech, he touched ono how he had taken his children to a union meeting where they learned all about how a union operates.
A few days later, Thomas assigned the children some household chores. They promptly refused to do them.
Retelling the story, union board member David Lundy chuckles. Thomas, he said, looked at his children with surprise and asked why they wouldn't work.
The answer? They were going on strike.
You can't go on strike, Thomas told them. Why not, his children asked. Because I'm locking you out, Thomas replied.
"It got a real rise out of the audience and that's Smokey's genius,'' said Lunday. "And he does that a lot.''
