Morgan Oddie

The Rise of Anti-Immigrant Racism Led to Violent Attacks and Silence in London Community

On January 18, a group of South Asian youth from the Malayali community were targeted and attacked in Victoria Park. This racist violence seriously injured four of them, including one suffering a critical eye injury. They are workers in the London community, having recently graduated as international students from local post-secondary education.   The London Police didn’t release a media statement for public safety.  Only days after the attacks, upon seeing statements by London Malayali cultural groups raising community safety concerns, did anyone from the wider community respond.  Both the racist attacks and the following silence are symptoms of anti-immigrant racism.  …

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Injured workers advocates continue call for WSIB investigation

On November 5, labour rights activists and community members joined in Victoria Park to mark the ten year anniversary of the release of “Prescription Over-Ruled”, a whistleblower’s report by the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG).  The report includes several allegations from healthcare professionals about the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), including failing to heed medical advice regarding readiness to return to work, insufficient treatment, blaming ‘pre-existing’ conditions for ongoing illness, and using independent medical reviews which proclaim patients to be healed, despite the evidence of treating practitioners. Many critics have…

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Postal workers continue job action with one-day London strike

Hundreds of postal workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), joined the picket line at the London Processing Plant on Highbury Ave. on Tuesday. This one-day action is part of a series of rotating strikes undertaken by CUPW across the region. “We’re still here. We’re still fighting. This government, you have to fight them on everything. Their austerity measures and their layoffs, it’s the wrong time for people with millions of dollars to tell me I can’t afford food and rent,” said Sharon Samuels, Acting President of CUPW Local 566 in London. Federal mediators are currently supporting…

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London postal workers return to strike line to protect public mail services

On Thursday, the Liberal federal government instructed Canada Post to end home delivery and close some rural mail outlets. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) responded with a nationwide strike. London workers with CUPW Local 566 joined the picket line Friday morning at the Oxford and Highbury processing plant. “The government keeps overreaching and not allowing for free and fair bargaining,” said Michael Coppins, CUPW 566 External Grievance Officer. “We feel like we’ve been left out in the cold.” The December national strike was ended by a back-to-work order of the Industrial Relations Board at the direction of Liberal…

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‘CRA is funding genocide’: Londoners rally against Canadian charities funding Israeli genocide in Gaza 

Around 40 Londoners joined a demonstration on Wednesday, September 3 in front of the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) downtown office to demand accountability for the charitable status granted to organizations who fund Israeli genocide in Palestine. Organized by the Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA), the London rally was part of a national week of action called by the Canadian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Coalition, Just Peace Activists, and other groups. The rallies coincide with the United Nations International Day of Charity on September 5. “We are here because CRA is complicit in the genocide that is happening in Gaza,” said…

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London’s Labour Day: Historical Roots and “Call to Militant Actions and Authentic Solidarity”

On the last long weekend of every Canadian summer, workers and unions gather for Labour Day to celebrate the history and achievements of the movement. This year, as workers face increased legislative threats by the federal and provincial governments, they also gather with strength and to develop community bonds of solidarity for the upcoming fightback needed. “Labour Day is a celebration of the fights that we have won, but it is a call to militant actions and authentic solidarity for the historic challenges we face locally, provincially, nationally, and globally,” said Patti Dalton, President of the London and District Labour…

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London Film Screening Marks the 35th Anniversary of Mohawk Kanehsatà:ke Resistance

On July 11, 1990, a 78-day standoff began when the Mohawk of Kanehsatà:ke resisted the violent expansion of a golf course onto their sacred forest and ancestral burial grounds. Commonly called the “Oka crisis” in settler communities, the siege by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) Quebec provincial police, the Canadian Army and RCMP, marks a “watershed moment” for Indigenous land defense and struggle on Turtle Island. To mark the 35th anniversary, there was a free public screening of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993, directed by Alanis Obomsawin) on July 10 at DoughEV (621 Dundas Street), co-hosted by London International Socialists,…

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Canadian Hearing Services workers ‘relieved’ to return to work

After 11 weeks on strike, workers at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS), represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2073 voted overwhelmingly in favour to ratify a new collective agreement. “We are super relieved and very happy with the new collective agreement. It’s what we were working towards,” said Amanda Seavers, CUPE 2073 London picket captain for the strike. “We’re eager to get back to our clients on Monday.” The small strike line in London had only ten workers picketing daily in front of the CHS office in Cherryhill Village Mall. After news that the new collective agreement was…

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Canadian Hearing Services workers concerned about community impact as strike enters ninth week

Workers for Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) are still on strike, with their Employer refusing to come to the bargaining table or exchange demands. “The community is suffering because of it. Eight weeks is a long time for us on the line but I’m sure it feels a lot longer for our community who have been without their mental health counsellors, without their audiology services, without their sign language interpreters for their doctor’s appointments,” said Amanda Seavers, CUPE 2073 picket captain. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2073, which represents 206 workers across the province and 10 in London, filed…

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Workers’ Compensation on first strike in history: wages, workload, and micromanagement primary concerns

Since May 22, over 200 workers have been on strike at the downtown London office on Fullarton Street for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Represented by the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU) Local 1750, London workers are some of the over 3,600 employed by WSIB across Ontario. These workers are responsible for administering the employer insurance program for workers who are injured on the job.  “We are wanting a fair collective agreement. We are looking for increased wages, better workload management, less micromanagement of our workloads,” said Suzanne Flannery, Unit Coordinator for the London Office and head picket…

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