Why do care workers deserve better pay? Community Living London workers answer
On Tuesday at the OPSEU Local 166 picket line for Community Living London, workers marched up and down the street, whistling and cheering at cars passing by.
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Read MoreWhy do care workers deserve better pay? Community Living London workers answer
PERSPECTIVES: Worth fighting for: Community Living London workers ready to strike
Community Living London workers are preparing to walk off the job on Monday, joining thousands of workers across Ontario in a growing labour dispute driven by chronic underfunding, low wages, and worsening working conditions. This action is a part of the “Worth Fighting For” campaign, a coordinated, province-wide community and labour action in Ontario led by frontline workers in the community and social services sectors, including members of OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE. Workers are demanding retroactive pay to compensate for wage increases being unfairly capped at 1 percent in 2019 by the Ontario government’s Bill 124, which was ruled unconstitutional in…
“Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living” : International Day of Mourning to remember workers killed, injured, and made ill on the job
On April 28, trade unionists and labour activists came for the Day of Mourning ceremony held in London’s Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) hall. This year’s London ceremony highlighted the recent death of a worker who was killed while working at the Maple Leaf Foods poultry processing plant on Wilton Grove Road on April 9. The investigation into the workplace death is ongoing and further details haven’t been released at this time. “We are all sharing in grief,” said Mike Mattioli, the regional union representative from the Union of Commercial and Food Workers (UFCW), which represents workers at the…
“Food Chain Labour”: CLIFF and Justice for Migrant Workers joint film screening depicts worker struggles
From November 5 to November 8, an audience passionate about great movies and workers’ rights had the chance to watch six curated short films based on the theme “food chain labour”. These selections were made possible due to a collaboration between Justice for Migrant Workers and the Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLIFF). Among the selected films, three were documentaries that show the struggles, challenges, and organizing victories of workers in various sectors. Working for Freedom documents the experiences of a woman in prison labour at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, A Tarea is set in the Galician estuaries in Spain…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
‘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…