The Strike Could Be Labour's Most Powerful Weapon. How Could We Use It to Defeat Ford?

My biggest fear is that the labour movement risks becoming irrelevant to rank-and-file members.

Many of them support their locals, but no longer see the broader movement as something that improves their lives.

This disconnect has consequences. The majority of Ontario workers are non-unionized, and many have voted for Ford, Poilievre, or Carney. Ford has now won three consecutive majorities, increasing his share of the union vote each time.

As a movement, we have to ask ourselves: Why are our members voting conservative, or not voting at all?

Despite these challenges, labour has held its ground. The Ontario NDP defied predictions in both 2022 and 2025, maintaining Official Opposition status. But we have to do better, especially between elections, where our greatest victories are often won.

Three years ago, the defeat of Bill 28 gave us a sense of just how powerful the labour movement can be. We defeated that law because of the inspiring strike by 55,000 education workers, but also because of the real threat of a general strike.

The defeat of Bill 28 proved what's possible when we act together. It was the most united moment I've seen in my time as a union leader.

My vision for defeating Ford is inspired by that same kind of unity, and by examples from Alberta and south of the border. The Alberta Federation of Labour has built province-wide solidarity campaigns connecting affiliates and members at every level.

In the U.S., the United Auto Workers' Plan 2028 aims to align bargaining contracts for May 1, 2028, to put as many workers as possible in a legal strike position at the same time–six months before the U.S. election. Other big unions are already on board, including the American Postal Workers Union and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Why couldn't we start planning the same kind of province-wide organizing here? With an Ontario election currently scheduled for June 2029, a coordinated Ontario plan targeting May Day 2028, or early 2029, would give us a powerful organizing goal. If we organize effectively, it could galvanize workers' power in the workplace, and inspire more engagement at the ballot box.

If we're really serious about doing more to coordinate our movement, we need to start talking about what steps would be required.

I'm going to propose three practical actions we could start working on together: 

Start coordinating bargaining timelines. Not every union would have to do this, but if a few big ones did this, especially if they already have contracts expiring in the spring of 2028 or early 2029, it could give the rest of us a rallying point and something to focus on.

Just like we built province-wide support for education workers in 2022, we could find ways to connect each affiliate's work and bargaining demands to a bigger coordinated fight.

Connect our contract fights to the wider public good. The most successful rounds of bargaining, including strikes, connect the demands of their members to the public good. If the wider public has a stake in the success of a strike, they'll more likely support it.

In general, I think this should be our approach across the entire movement. The things unions fight for benefit everyone, even if you're not in a union.

For example, think about how we could be mobilizing support for health care workers outside their workplaces as part of a bigger fight to defend health care and universal access to good quality public services.

Get ready for the possibility of coordinated strike action. There's always lots of talk to call a general strike, but never enough discussion about what it would take to get our members ready for that possibility. If we don't do the work, and if members aren't ready, talk of a general strike is just an empty threat.

I'm inspired by the possibility of Alberta's Common Front Solidarity Pact and Plan 2028 in the U.S. These proposals focus on aligning contracts and rebuilding the culture of active, member-led solidarity. The OFL can play a central coordinating role by helping unions move in sync, supporting those on strike, and amplifying our collective power.

We can't wait until 2028 or 2029 to act. That's why starting now is so important. Everything we build through coordination, unity, and shared purpose will determine our ability to win better jobs, defend public services, and elect governments that put workers first–and it allows us to put rank-and-file at the heart of our strategy.

Crucially, our fight must push back against employer and right-wing efforts to scapegoat newcomers, trans people, and other marginalized communities under attack, all while governments continue to underinvest in public services and the supports that workers rely on.

We won't win the bigger fight if workers are divided against each other.

Next week's OFL Convention is our chance to continue this discussion. I look forward to your feedback on how we can rise to this challenge together.

---

Want to support Ahmad's campaign? Fill out this form.

#WorkersFirst #OFL2025 #CanLab #OnLab