Wednesday, September 24, 2025
In a recent guidance document on the Return to Office, the Treasury Board Secretariat has directed managers in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) to disallow the use of union virtual backgrounds and Teams display images, specifically citing materials from AMAPCEO’s “Remote work works!” campaign.
The OPS Employer is claiming that these images are “political” in nature and therefore inappropriate, and that they constitute an unauthorized personal use of the Employer’s information and information technology resources.
AMAPCEO vehemently opposes this position. Virtual backgrounds and display images are a long-held form of union expression and are not inherently political. We believe that prohibiting members from this form of expression is a violation of our rights as unionized workers.
AMAPCEO is already preparing to file a grievance to this effect and will update you as we have more information to share.
If you are using an AMAPCEO virtual background and are directly asked by your manager to remove it, you should do so. We also encourage you to contact an AMAPCEO Workplace Representative near you right away with the details of your experience.
AMAPCEO is here to support members and to defend our union’s rights from what we believe to be an overreach and violation by the Employer.