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Longtime labour activist and Unifor National Representative Chris Buckley is the new president of the Ontario Federation of Labour.
“There is no greater honour than to serve as president of your Ontario Federation of Labour,” Buckley said after accepting the new position this morning.
Buckley replaces outgoing OFL president Sid Ryan, who Buckley honoured in his acceptance speech for his commitment to improving the lives of the province’s working people and their families.
Also elected were Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation and Ahmad Gaied from United Food and Commercial Workers. Both ran on a slate with Buckley and were endorsed by Unifor.
Before joining Unifor staff, Buckley was the president of Local 222 in Oshawa, and chair of the GM Master Bargaining Committee, where he led negotiations with General Motors for four rounds of talks. He was also a member of the committee that oversaw the formation of Unifor and played a pivotal role in the transition to the new union.
Buckley pledged to work with affiliates, activists, labour councils and equity seeking groups to build a strong OFL and a stronger labour movement in Ontario.
“There is a job to be done, on the part of Ontario workers and their families,” Buckley said.
Buckley pledged to address the major issues facing labour today, including the gender wage gap, issues around precarious work, the changing jobs market, youth unemployment, and to be a strong voice in the Ontario government’s ongoing review of labour laws in the province.
“We know the business groups will be pushing back, and Queen’s Park will feel the pressure,” Buckley said. “We need to make sure that labour pushes back even harder.”
In addressing the OFL convention, both Coates and Gaied joined Buckley in committing to addressing precarious work and standing up for working people.
“Let's focus on what's important to all workers, union and non-union,” said Gaied, a grocery store worker. “Together we are stronger."
Coates, an educational assistant and president of the Barrie and District Labour Council, drew on her experience negotiating with the province and representing all workers through her labour council to call for a united house of labour.
“As a united labour movement, we can make a difference,” she said.
