OSPEU community support workers strike across Ontario

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Thousands of workers are either on strike or locked out as OPSEU members escalate pressure on both employers and the province. At the center of it all, funding wages in what workers describe as years of chronic underfunding in FRONTLINE CARE.

[00:00:16]SOLIDARITY!

[00:00:18]SLOW! SLOW! SLOW! Picketers outside Queen's Park, many of them long-time support workers, saying they've had enough. Our public services, from health care to social and community services, are at a breaking point. And so are the workers who deliver them. The strike involves nearly two dozen community and social service organizations.

[00:00:40]Workers say they support some of the province's most vulnerable people, but argue they're being pushed past the limit themselves. What these workers are bargaining for is the common good in Ontario.

[00:00:53]Families and workers can no longer be expected to carry a broken system on their backs.

[00:01:01]We are shining a light on the devastating impacts that this underfunding has on all of us, including not only those impacted by this strike, but also the thousands who are still waiting for care. Many say they're working multiple jobs just to get by, and some rely on food banks as a call for better funding and retroactive pay tied to Bill 124 wage restrictions. That law was later ruled unconstitutional.

[00:01:32]While other public sector workers have received retroactive increases, these workers say they're still waiting.

[00:01:39]The province says it has already made what it calls historic investments in development services, pointing to nearly $4 billion in funding this year. In a statement, they add, "While collective bargaining is a matter between the employer and the union, we expect every service provider to have strong contingency plans to protect residents and ensure their care is never disrupted. At this time it's not yet clear on how the labor action will impact services in Toronto. Melissa Nakobli, CityNews.