LEAF Employees Vote Unanimously to Join Society of United Professionals

TORONTO, Jan. 15, 2026 /CNW/ - Employees of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) have unanimously voted to join the Society of United Professionals, IFPTE Local 160 ("the Society"). The newly certified bargaining unit includes all employees, including lawyers.

"We are delighted that the employees at LEAF choose our union," says Rebecca Caron, President of the Society of United Professionals. "With this decision, they join the nearly 600 legal professionals currently represented by the Society. We look forward to providing these employees with the first-rate representation and bargaining support that the rest of our members enjoy."

LEAF employees join a growing group of Society members working across Ontario's legal sector, including at Legal Aid Ontario, the National Judicial Institute, the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, and Aboriginal Legal Services.

"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.

LEAF works to advance the substantive equality rights of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation, law reform and public education. The organization intervenes in key cases to ensure that when courts interpret equality rights, there will be a systemic improvement in the lives of women, trans, and non-binary people.

The Society of United Professionals continues to look for new opportunities to represent new groups of workers. Employees interested in improving their workplace can contact a Society Organizer at [email protected] for a confidential discussion.

About the Society of United Professionals

Founded more than 70 years ago by engineers who wanted better working conditions, the Society of United Professionals now has members in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Today, the Society represents more than 10,000 professionals in the energy and legal sectors. Among the organizations United Professionals' members work for are Ontario Power Generation, Hydro One, Bruce Power, Independent Electricity System Operator, Legal Aid Ontario, NWMO, Toronto Hydro, Electrical Safety Authority, Ontario Energy Board, National Judicial Institute, Aboriginal Legal Services, TSSA and Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.

The Society of United Professionals is Local 160 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and is affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress, Ontario Federation of Labour and many local labour councils.

SOURCE Society of United Professionals

Media contact: Jeremy Johnston-Kaye, Communications Officer, 416-553-3516, [email protected]