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…
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…
Hands Off My Post Office Rally – London, ON
Rallies were organized across Canada on Saturday, to draw support in the Canadian Union of Postal Worker’s (CUPW) on-going struggle to keep Canada Post a public entity. This is a continuation from their 5 week strike in the fall of last year. The union has tried to work with the corporation in order to establish new, innovative ways of delivering the mail, but holds fast to maintaining adequate wages and decent benefits for all employees. The corporation has refused to move on any of the suggestions posed by CUPW’s negotiating team and is pushing the union into another strike position…
“We’re falling behind”: Canadian Hearing Services workers strike for fair wages, job protections
For more than six weeks, over 200 Canadian Hearing Service (CHS) workers have been on strike across the province. Represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local (CUPE) 2073, the sign language interpreters, mental health counselors, audiologists, and other striking staff of CHS are hoping for more support from the public as they approach their sixth week on the lines. CHS is a nonprofit organization based predominantly in Ontario. The organization provides a plethora of services for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the country. Since Julia Dumanian became CEO of the company in 2015, service provisions in…
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…