Labour

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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“We believe in what we’re trying to fight for”: OPSEU strike enters fourth week 

Since September 11, around 650 full-time college support staff at Fanshawe College have been on strike. Workers on the picket line share concerns about supporting their families as the financial hardships of the strike become increasingly straining. “For some of them it’s a real financial hardship. A strike means you don’t perform work and you don’t get paid,” says Adam Rayfield, president of OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) Local 109 representing full-time college support staff at Fanshawe College. “But what it’s really done is strengthen their bonds. The silver lining I see from this is that folks are connecting…

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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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OPSEU rally brings workers together in fight for public education

More than 100 community members and education workers joined Fanshawe support staff workers on their picket line in front of the college Friday, as the union’s strike ended its first week. Fanshawe College’s over 650 full-time support staff, who are represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 109 have been on strike since Sept. 11. The local joins more than 10,000 full-time college support staff across the province in striking for job security measures, an increase to provincial funding in the sector, and to ensure benefits cover things like dental and hearing services.  On Friday, the union…

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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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‘End the Plantation System’: Justice for Migrant Workers at London’s Caribbean Cultural Festival

The following is the speech delivered by Chris Ramsaroop from Justice for Migrant Workers to attendees of Island Fest, a celebration of Caribbean culture in London, on July 26. He has been organizing with Justice for Migrant Workers for the past 25 years.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak regarding issues pertaining to the people who are the foundation of our food system, migrant farm workers. To begin, I would be remiss not to begin with a quote from the seminal work of Justice Irving Andre, who over 35 years ago wrote one of the first critical…

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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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Dresden community rallies against Bill 5 and proposed landfill site

On Thursday, more than 160 people gathered in Dresden’s Rotary Park to oppose the Ford government’s Bill 5 and a controversial landfill site proposal that the province has reopened the doors to.  The landfill proposal would expand and reopen an inactive landfill site less than a kilometer away from the Dresden town line. The landfill proposed by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions would accept more than 6,000 tonnes of solid non-hazardous construction and demolition waste every day, running around the clock with an estimated 700 trucks travelling to the site each day.  The Dresden community has been actively opposed to the…

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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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