Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we head into the holiday season, let’s recall that this past year has been particularly challenging, with thousands of affected letters being sent to our members in the national capital region. Combined with the economic downturn, this situation has led many in our community, including some of our members, to face difficult financial challenges. Indeed, the Ottawa Food Bank recently reported that 48,000 people in Ottawa rely on food banks every month.
In 2013, PSAC in the National Capital Region will accelerate its fight back campaign against the Conservative agenda, which is hurting our economy and weakening our social security programs. In addition, we will continue to improve our communications to members, increase our direct role in community initiatives, and explain to the broader public the value of unions to society.
I hope that you have the opportunity to spend some quality time with your family and friends this holiday season. Please be safe and remember to take a taxi back home when needed. Drivers with Blueline, Westway, Capital and DJ’s are all unionized with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and, recently, they have agreed to actively support our ‘We Are All Affected’ campaign. We will provide more information about this exciting initiative in the New Year.
I wish you happy holidays and all the best in the New Year!
Larry Rousseau
Regional Executive Vice-President
National Capital Region
Public Service Alliance of Canada