Rank-and-File Members Are the Base of My Support

The Workers First campaign is grounded in my respect for every affiliate and every activist working to strengthen our labour movement. Affiliates make endorsement decisions through their own internal processes, and I respect those choices.

At the same time, what makes the Workers First campaign truly meaningful is the strong support coming directly from rank-and-file members, activists, young workers, equity leaders, labour council leaders, and several current OFL Board Members–including members from affiliates whose leaders have supported other candidates.

This support reflects something powerful: workers from across our movement, from many unions and backgrounds, believe in my leadership because of their first-hand experience working with me.

The Workers First campaign is powered by: 

• current OFL Board Members

• members from multiple affiliates across the province

• labour council activists

• young workers and emerging leaders

• equity-seeking communities

• movement builders

• rank-and-file workers from every corner of Ontario

Together, they show that support for me is genuine, earned, and rooted in real relationships and lived experience.

This is what the Workers First campaign represents: a united, principled movement where every worker's voice matters, and where support comes from the ground up.

Read their words below, and stay tuned for more posts!

And if you'd like to share your own message of support, please fill out this form. Many thanks!

In solidarity, 

Ahmad Gaied

Secretary-Treasurer

Ontario Federation of Labour

Abdi Hagi Yousef

CUPW, Toronto Local Secretary-Treasurer • OFL Board Member • TYRLC Member • Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Member

Ahmad Gaied has proven to be a hard-working and effective leader. As OFL Secretary-Treasurer, he has demonstrated strong financial stewardship, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that the Federation's resources are managed responsibly in service of workers first, and their affiliates and communities across Ontario.

We have consistently counted on Ahmad to represent the best interests of our community within the labour movement and at the Ontario Legislature. He has built lasting relationships between communities and labour, while providing his time and resources to support CBTU summer camps and participating in numerous community actions and demonstrations for workers' rights and human rights.

Ahmad is a strong leader who mobilizes young workers and engages people from all walks of life. He's approachable, accessible, charismatic, and deeply committed to building a more inclusive and equitable labour movement.

Ahmad has all the qualities you need in a leader, and I fully support his candidacy for re-election as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Connor Pierotti 

OSSTF Member • OFL Board Member • Chair, OFL Young Workers' Committee

As an OFL Board Member, I've had the privilege of working closely with Ahmad Gaied and seeing first-hand his dedication, steadiness, and deep commitment to the labour movement.

Ahmad has been instrumental in helping me guide our Young Workers' Committee and in empowering the voices of workers first across Ontario.

Throughout the challenges of COVID-19, financial uncertainty, and the constant need to tighten belts, Ahmad has safeguarded our collective resources. His leadership has ensured that we remain strong and responsive during times of record strikes, political upheaval, and attacks on workers' rights that have tested our leadership and our movement like never before.

As a frontline worker who earns less than the national average, I'm personally grateful to know that someone like Ahmad is safeguarding our federation's financial health while never losing sight of the people it represents. His integrity and resilience have earned my full confidence.

I'm proud to call Ahmad a friend, and I am even prouder to endorse him for re-election as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Kaylee Heath 

OPSEU Board Member • Registered Nurse

Ahmad Gaied is a leader grounded in compassion, integrity, and a deep commitment to human rights and social justice for all workers. From the first time I heard him speak in 2019, his passion for building a stronger, more inclusive labour movement has inspired me and countless others to be more involved.

Ahmad has been consistently engaging young workers across Ontario, including within our own union, OPSEU. He has taken the time to connect with and mentor emerging leaders, and even joined our union's first ever podcast, The S(olidarity)-Word, to help us reach and inspire more young workers to get involved in their union. His presence and encouragement have made a real difference in keeping young workers energized and connected to the broader labour movement.

As Secretary-Treasurer, Ahmad's leadership goes far beyond budgets and numbers. He understands that every financial decision reflects our collective values of equity, inclusion, and fairness. Under his guidance, the OFL has strengthened programs for young workers, including young worker summits, and provided space for the creation of the Young Workers' Toolkit.

Ahmad has been a consistent voice for those too often left unheard. He champions anti-racism, standing up for dignity and respect in every workplace, and showing up for workers first and their communities across Ontario. His integrity, transparency, and vision have made the OFL stronger and more accountable.

Our movement needs leaders like Ahmad Gaied. He is a leader who not only safeguards our resources, but also fights every day for justice, equity, and the rights of all workers. I am proud to support his re-election as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Chris Borgia M.E., R.S.E.

Former NDP Candidate, Durham • Past President, Durham Region Labour Council • Past OFL Vice-President • Past Young Work Representative, IBEW Canada

Brother Ahmad Gaied is a person I trust.

I experienced first-hand his care and commitment when I was the Ontario Federation of Labour's Young Worker Chair. Brother Ahmad supported my idea to host monthly young worker meetings instead of quarterly, and agreed that through more engagement we would be able to grow our young worker committee.

Brother Ahmad makes himself available when I need guidance or advice in my career and when I was the Young Worker Chair.

Brother Ahmad has always been the type of person to lend his voice to the voiceless, to broadcast the message of the workers, and to stand strong in the presence of adversity.

For those reasons, I endorse Brother Ahmad Gaied as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Isabelle Miller

Worker Advocate • Labour Leader

Over the past 20 years, I have held many roles in the labour movement, from Human Rights Officer for the Telecommunication Workers Union to National President of the largest amalgamated local of the United Steelworkers in Canada, and as a Canadian Chapter Board and International Board member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Today, I am not endorsing in the name of any abbreviated organizations. I am endorsing as Isabelle, a sister in the movement, and as someone who has stood beside a trusted fellow advocate whom I deeply admire.

I am wholeheartedly supporting my strong brother-in-battle and friend, Ahmad Gaied, in his reoffering for re-election for Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Ahmad has worked tirelessly for years to make real progress for our community and in the defence of all workers. Many of you see him at what feels like every single event you attend. What some may not see is the Ahmad who works behind the scenes without recognition or need for praise.

I have seen the Ahmad who shows up and supports you when you are advertising a labour event. The Ahmad who ensures he does everything he can to help the OFL promote and support your initiatives, even when it is not convenient for him personally, professionally, or politically.

I have seen him arrive early to set up without being asked and do teardown at the end of the event. I know that if I am preparing any resolutions package, I can count on Ahmad to provide a stack of resolutions that he has researched and written with care, each one thoughtful and grounded in his commitment to advancing workers' rights, particularly for fellow BIPOC workers.

Whether he is at a microphone at an international convention in the United States, at a podium at a National Black Summit hosted by the Michaëlle Jean Foundation here in Canada, at a labour-sponsored kids camp, or even at a car parade during the height of COVID organized to thank essential grocery store workers, you will find Ahmad present and engaged.

He will be boots on the ground, marching and leading the crowd in chant, speaking for all of us, even when he thinks no one is watching. But I have been watching all along.

I see Ahmad for the honourable and fierce social justice and labour advocate that he is. I see his unwavering commitment to the advancement of every worker. While some leaders search for cameras or rely on the same recycled platitudes from venue to venue, I have watched Ahmad shine by lifting others up. He leads by bringing workers to the forefront, never seeking credit, always speaking truth to power with courage and conviction, fearlessly and triumphantly.

It is my absolute pleasure to give this man his flowers and offer my full endorsement for Ahmad Gaied in his reoffering for Secretary-Treasurer of the OFL.

Ahmad, you are not only a phenomenal candidate. You are the right person for the job, and you continue to demonstrate that through every action you take in service to workers across the province.

Sarah Jama 

Community Organizer • Former Independent MPP, Hamilton Centre

Over the last decade of knowing Ahmad, I've come to see him as one of the rare leaders at the OFL who truly connects with grassroots members and meets people where they are. His leadership is honest, transparent, and genuinely inspiring.

What our movement needs now is leadership grounded in principle: leaders who listen, who engage in real conversations, and who help bring people together even when issues are challenging. Ahmad embodies that kind of steady, thoughtful leadership.

In times when things feel polarized, it's important to support leaders who put people first. Ahmad's work ethic, integrity, and commitment to workers are qualities I have witnessed first-hand. Voting for Ahmad means choosing unity, authenticity, and a leader who consistently puts workers and communities at the centre of every decision.

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