Rosel Kim, LEAF lawyer, notes this is a time of more backlash against equality rights
Following a unanimous vote, the lawyers and other employees of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) have joined the almost 600 legal professionals already represented by the Society of United Professionals, IFPTE Local 160.
According to the union’s news release, the newly certified bargaining unit includes employees working at the following players within the province’s legal sector: Legal Aid Ontario, the National Judicial Institute, the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Aboriginal Legal Services, and now LEAF.
“At a time when we are seeing a heightened backlash against equality rights, we are proud to be strengthening our workplace, and securing our rights and the vital work we do by unionizing,” said Rosel Kim, LEAF senior staff lawyer, in the news release.
According to the news release, LEAF seeks to promote the substantive equality rights of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people across the country via litigation, legal reform, and public education.
Specifically, through intervening in significant cases involving the interpretation of equality rights, LEAF aims to help advance systemic improvements in the lives of women, trans, and non-binary individuals.
Rebecca Caron, the union’s president, welcomed LEAF’s decision to come on board.
“We look forward to providing these employees with the first-rate representation and bargaining support that the rest of our members enjoy,” Caron said in the news release.
The union’s news release provided more information regarding its background.
Over 70 years ago, engineers pursuing improved working conditions established the Society of United Professionals, which is Local 160 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE).
The union has affiliations with the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour, and multiple local labour councils.
The union acts on behalf of over 10,000 professionals within the energy and legal sectors. Its membership spans the public, private, and not-for-profit arenas.
The union’s members are workers at organizations such as Ontario Power Generation, Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, Bruce Power, the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Electrical Safety Authority, the Ontario Energy Board, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
In its news release, the union noted that it will keep seeking opportunities to act for new groups of workers and help them improve their workplaces.
