Belleville’s Laura Walton has been elected president of the Ontario Federation of Labour.
Walton, who was an educational assistant with the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board, has also served as the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) since 2019.
She was elected at the OFL’s convention in Toronto on Tuesday.
The OFL represents over one million Ontario workers belonging to more than 1,500 locals from 54 affiliated unions, making it Canada’s largest labour federation.
Walton hopes to see that number grow.
“There’s some really exciting times that we’re seeing in labour. We’re seeing workers, you know, stepping up and pushing back to the bosses to achieve what they need in their work place and that’s, you know, raising the bar for other workers. And a really exciting time to be moving into this role.”
As President of the OSBCU last year, she led 55,000 CUPE members in a two-day walkout to protest the Ford government’s plan to use the notwithstanding clause to push through legislation to impose a contract on education workers.
The government then repealed the legislation and the two sides returned to the table and brokered a deal.
Walton says the labour movement supported them last year and that was one of the reasons she decided to run for the OFL presidency.
“And so when the opportunity presented itself and there was few people who suggested that this would be a great opportunity, you know, I had a great team that we were able to build together and really looking forward to what we can do.”
She ran as a team with grocery store clerk Ahmad Gaied (United Food and Commercial Workers), and community worker Jackie Taylor (United Steelworkers).
Gaied will serve as Secretary-Treasurer while Taylor will take on the role of Executive Vice-President.
She says there are many things to fight for including empowering workers and ensuring they get the best collective agreements possible, safe work spaces and addressing how the climate crisis impacts workers.
But she’s also looking out for her two children.
“And, you know, I’m seeing racialized workers and young workers being asked to do more with less and, you know, that’s not right. So really hoping to leave a much better labour movement for my kids to enter into as well.”
Walton begins her two-year term January 1.
