OPSEU asks for fair taxation

A mock fundraiser was recently staged by the members of OPSEU Local 441 (Family and Children’s Services (CAS) Unit and Child Youth Wellness Centre (CYWC) Unit, as part of a province-wide ‘Day of Action’ by the union in protest of the McGuinty government’s combination of corporate tax cuts and public-sector wage freezes. Complete with cup in hand, the participating union members lead by Local 411 secretary, Brian Carnovale, stood in front of the Scotia Bank on King Street, last Friday, jokingly asking passersby to give donations to struggling corporations.

“The idea was designed to get people to think about how they would want to invest $2.4 Billion that the corporations will receive in tax cuts,” explained Carnovale, who is also a Child Protection Worker for Family and Children Services.

Carnovale continued, adding that the demonstrators received ‘a lot of surprised looks’, when they explained their plight to those who stopped to listen.

“When we told people what the government was really up to; taking money out of social programs health care, education social services and giving the corporations a tax cut, people were dismayed! Services for the province of Ontario have already been cut, reduced and the government is turning around and giving the money to the corporations.”

According to the union’s literature, starting this year, Premier McGuinty is asking for a provincial public sector workers to accept a two-year wage freeze, in order to pay down the deficit, protect services and save jobs. Furthermore, the Premiere states the proposed freeze would save $1.8 billion a year, while Carnovale says that large corporations will make $2.4 billion a year from corporate income tax cuts alone.

“He’s taking from the people who bring money into the economy,” said Carnovale. “He’s taking from one pot to give to another.”