r to the state.Two representatives of OCSEA Corrections Assembly testified before the House State Government Committee in favor of H.B. 229, which is a bill that would ban state-run private prisons in Ohio. They asked committee members to compare the problems at the private prison in Youngstown else where with the state’s prisons. Several members of OCSEA staff attended the hearings. The fate of H.B. 229 is still uncertain. (11)OCSEA members worked for the passage of H.B. 293 to regulate the private prisons. They were successful in passing the bill. This proves that member and community support can get legislators to change their positions.The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (or OPSEU) was created in 1911 as the Civil Service Association of Ontario. The group changed their name to OPSEU in 1975. They have taken a stand against privatization since the 1980s.In December 1999, OPSEU filed complaints with the Ontario Labor Relations Board over Ontario government plans to privatize prisoner transportation. The Ministry of Correctional Services agreed to provide training and equipment to make community escorts safer. Then a few months later, they announced that they would contract out prisoner transportation. OPSEU filed complaints against The Ministry because “the employer has violated both the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Ontario Labor Relations Act” (12) OPSEU also says that the employer is trying to intimidate correctional officers so they won’t try to exercise their rights. OPSEU has called on the Board to order the government to “cease and desist from continuing to attempt to privatize the community escorts.” (13)In January 2000, OPSEU gained the support of the powerful Police Association of Ontario. They are backing OPSEU campaign to stop the privatization of correctional services. Bill Baxter, head of the police union wrote a letter to Corrections Minister Rob Sampson, stating t...
