Solidarity Food Drive for OPSEU/SEFPO 166
On Saturday, a solidarity food and donation drive will be held for the members of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 166 on strike at Community Living London during Sunfest.
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PERSPECTIVES – Blame Billionaires, Not Immigrants: Confronting Far-Right Rhetoric with Working Class Unity
On May 16, the far-right group “Stand United Canada” called for a convoy to provincial and national borders across the country. The choice of a disruption on Victoria Day long weekend was specifically to align the protest with far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson’s rally, similarly dubbed “Unite the Kingdom.” British far-right organizers used Nakba Day, knowing there would be mass demonstrations of Palestinian solidarity, to rally anti-immigrant hatred out on the streets. “Stand United Canada” and Nazi Propaganda “Stand United” is one of many far-right groups that has cropped up and is vaguely calling for government accountability. Rooted in anti-vaxx…
London Gathers Together in Celebration of May Day
On a bright, sunny May 3rd, music, dancing and joy filled Victoria Park. Several organizations united in a rally for May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, to call attention to the struggles of the working class in Canada and abroad. The event opened with chants and music from Frank Risdsdale in support of labour movements, unions and workers rights, followed by speeches by representatives of various labour and leftist organizations in the city. First spoke Anthony, representative for the group Forest City Solidarity. He explained the origins of May Day, created in 1889 France during the Second International,…
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.
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…