“Keep municipal staff working”: CUPE Ontario calls on the province to defend services and workers

(TORONTO, ON) CUPE Ontario, the province’s largest union, is calling on the provincial government to fund municipalities during the pandemic in order to keep staff working and on the payroll.   “Municipal services matter, now more than ever – and many municipal governments are doing the right thing by keeping workers on staff,” said Fred Hahn,…

“Just because we work half the hours, does not mean we are half the worth!”: Laid off Whitby city workers hold creative action to call for equity and wages

On Friday, March 13, the Town of Whitby laid off 210 part-time staff, members of CUPE Local 53. Unlike neighbouring municipalities, like Pickering, Clarington, Uxbridge, and Ajax, where city workers were paid for between two and three weeks when layoffs were still considered temporary, Whitby’s part-time workers were left with no compensation. “If the town provided the three-weeks worth of wages, it would give us the opportunity to…

With pandemic here and deadline fast approaching, CUPE 79 urges City of Toronto to ‘get this right’ and conclude negotiations

TORONTO – With a global pandemic here and the deadline for labour disruption just around the corner, the leader of Canada’s largest local union today urged the City of Toronto to reach a settlement. “The whole city is watching. The actions we all take in the coming days will be incredibly consequential. We have to…

Durham Region paramedics highlight ambulance shortages and call for real investment in paramedic services

WHITBY, ON – The union representing paramedics in Durham is calling on regional political leadership to join forces in calling for a greater investment in emergency health services. CUPE Local 1764, which represents about 320 paramedics in Durham Region, recently shared with Durham Region councillors a report that definitively shows the disparity between call volume…

City of Toronto needs to shift focus from contingency planning to negotiating a fair deal with CUPE Local 79

TORONTO, ON – The President of the union representing over 20,000 City of Toronto ‘inside’ workers today urged the City to shift its focus from contingency plans to the place it needs to be – the bargaining table. “The best possible contingency plan is to negotiate a fair contract,” said Dave Mitchell, President of Local…