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Tait Shop officially opened; named for late OPSEU pioneer
OPSEU has officially opened a new retail outlet in its
headquarters at 100 Lesmill Road
The Tait Shop, named for former Executive Board Member and Staff
Representative Jim Tait, offers special discounts for OPSEU members in home and
auto insurance, vacation specials, mobile phones, legal protection, as well
apparel and items featuring the OPSEU logo.
More than 150 members and staff attended the memorial Sept. 19
for Brother Tait, who died last May at age 67.
“The Tait Shop will be a constant reminder of Jim’s dedication
to our union and its members,” said Patty Rout, First Vice-President/Treasurer,
who cut the ribbon after the service.
President Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who hosted the event, said the
memorial was a fitting tribute to a man who spent much of his later years in the
building.
“We knew Jim as a friend, but what may didn’t know was that Jim
was also one of the founders of OPSEU, one of the pioneers who took us from a
staff association to full-fledged union.”
Among his many accomplishments, Jim Tait headed the committee
that framed the union’s first constitution in 1975, after its transition from
the Civil Service Association of Ontario.
Members of the Tait family – widow, son, daughter and sister --
were present for the ceremony. They donated some OPSEU memorabilia, including a
quilt with pins and buttons he had collected over the years.
Also attending were Frances Lankin, former OPSEU staffer and
Ontario Minister of Health who now heads the United Way, and James Clancy,
president of the National Union. He recalled how in the 1980s, Tait was one of
the staff he counted on to do the tough jobs.
“He was the most trustworthy person we had, and he was always
there when we needed him,” Clancy said.
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