by Kyle HoskinGarbageman, CUPE Local 1287 What a meeting! This past Friday in Niagara, the Ontario Federation of Labour met with the community and labour to discuss how we plan to rally against Doug Ford’s Regressive Conservatives convention on February 21-22 at the Scotiabank Centre in Niagara Falls. The room had 46 participants with a Continue readingNiagara prepares for Feb.22 Ontario PC convention
Ontario
Simon Black, professor at Brock University and organizer with Labour Against the Arms Trade, discusses labour’s role in the anti-war movement, opposing Canada’s arms trade with Saudi Arabia, and a just transition for arms manufacturing workers.
Today, members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) walk off the job to protest ongoing attacks to the education system by Doug Ford’s government. Key issues for the teachers’ job action include preserving jobs, lowering class sizes and rejecting mandatory e-learning courses for students. The one-day province-wide walk-out will close secondary schools across Continue readingOntario teachers begin one-day strike against Ford’s cuts
The Ontario Federation of Labour’s biennial convention starts on Monday. In addition to the hundreds of resolutions that will be voted on and the action plan that will be hotly debated, this convention will see an open election for the position of OFL President as outgoing president, Chris Buckley, will not be seeking another term. Continue readingQ&A with OFL Presidential candidate Barry Conway
Today, Oct. 17, at 14:45, a group of 40 activists gathered in front of Ontario Premier Ford’s office in Etobicoke. By the time they had arrived, ten people had already entered Ford’s office to occupy it. They were there to demand that the government take responsibility for the five deaths at Fiera Foods, one of Continue readingOccupy Ford: No more workplace deaths
The outcry over the fifth death of a temporary worker at Fiera Foods is putting pressure on Premier Doug Ford to fix the laws that place temp workers in harm’s way. Temp workers need to have equal rights and protections under the law because employers, like the owners of Fiera, will never provide them voluntarily. Continue readingThese men make the wounds: Fiera Foods CEO Boris Serebryany
On Sunday night hours from a strike deadline, CUPE representing 55,000 Ontario education workers, announced they achieved restored services for students and a fair contract for workers. For months, the government has been playing hardball with workers, students and parents in the education system. But workers, students and parents are fighting back. CUPE’s incredible win Continue readingWalk-in to Fight Ford’s Education Cuts
It is a tragic irony that General Motors (GM) chose its hundredth anniversary in Oshawa to announce the December 2019 closure of its Oshawa assembly plant. This means the loss of over 15,000 jobs in Ontario: 2,200 GM assembly jobs, 300 salaried positions, 500 temporary contract positions, 1,000 inside and 1,000 outside supplier jobs, and Continue readingTake the Plant, Save the Planet
Last week, negotiations between the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (CUPE) bargaining agent the Ontario School Board Council of Union (OSBCU) and the province move to mediation as bargaining makes no progress for the 55,000 education workers CUPE represents across Ontario. RankandFile.ca spoke with OSBCU President Laura Walton about the role of the government and Continue readingOntario’s education workers inch closer to strike position
“We’ve heard that people like to make memes about Doug Ford. Could you describe one of them?” asks a journalist from a mainstream media outlet. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” replies Amina Vance, an 18-year-old organizer of the Students Say No (SSN) group fighting Ford’s cuts to public education. “Let me tell you another story.” Memes Continue readingLessons from high-school organizers fighting Ford’s education cuts
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) Economic and Budget Outlook review has identified planned government spending savings that come via (1) announced program changes (program cuts like the government’s cut to OHIP+), (2) announced efficiency targets (identified areas where the government hopes it will find savings without service cuts), and (3) cuts that have not yet been Continue readingFord plans many more healthcare cuts
It has taken years of persistence and an army of warriors but it is finally happening – the conspiracy of silence around the hazardous work environment at the Peterborough General Electric plant is unravelling. The documentary Town of Widows aired on CBC on Thursday August 8, 2019, providing national exposure to finally put an end to Continue readingTown of Widows