Two workers detail management’s dirty tricks during a union drive Editor’s note: We have kept the authors’ names anonymous Steamworks is a chain of five bathhouses across Canada and the USA, catering primarily to gay men. The Toronto location opened eighteen years ago in the heart of the gay village, taking over a space previously Continue readingBoss Fight at the Bathhouse
Toronto
by Anna Bianca Roach Foodora workers laid their bikes on the ground, stood two metres apart, and blocked Richmond Street traffic in front of the company’s office on Friday afternoon. The workers chanted and gave speeches protesting Foodora’s recent decision to withdraw from the Canadian market. Foodora couriers won the right to unionize roughly two Continue readingCouriers block traffic to protest Foodora’s withdrawal from Canada
By Haseena Manek Since Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced restaurants would stay open for takeout and delivery during the COVID19 pandemic, bicycle couriers have ben deemed “essential” workers. Already a dangerous job, bicycle couriers working for food delivery apps like Foodora, Uber Eats, Doordash and Skip the Dishes have no sick leave, no health insurance. Continue readingEssential but precarious: Toronto bike couriers fight for a union
By Dunja Apostolov-Dimitrijević “No one in their right mind would ever accept this deal,” says Jorge Villa, an organizer with Service Employers International Union (SEIU) Local 2, of the proposal tabled by Luciano Janitorial Services. A crowd of janitors and their community allies gathered outside 250/270 Wellington Street – two soaring condominiums – in downtown Continue readingNo Justice for Janitors at Luciano Janitorial Services
By Haseena Manek Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) will be launching their new report, Permanently Temporary, at an event in Toronto this evening. The community-led report details experiences of community members working with temporary employment agencies and the challenges they face as a result of their precarious working status. The report includes the anonymous Continue readingJFAAP to launch report on the rights of temp workers
By Zaid Noorsumar In an opinion piece by members of the transit advocacy group TTCriders written in January, the authors warned that the Eglinton East LRT could be a casualty of Doug Ford’s transit plan. Shelagh Pizey-Allen and Suhail Barot wrote that in partnering with developers to build transit – as this government plans to Continue readingFord’s transit delays: Riders organizing against takeover
By Chloe Rockarts and Gerard Di Trolio When the Tories were elected to govern Ontario this past June, it was a day that many were both dreading and expecting. The Ontario government has finally unveiled their legislation that would repeal the gains workers made from Bill 148. In an emergency action coordinated by the $15 Continue readingFord takes on Bill 148, but there is resistance
By Pam Johnson On July 19, the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place locked out members of stagehands and stage technician’s union, IASTE 58, rather than bargain in good faith. These workers do all of the stage and technical work at Exhibition Place venues including BMO Field, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Coca Cola Coliseum, Enercare Centre, Continue readingStagehands locked-out at Exhibition Place
By Herman Rosenfeld Many of us in the Toronto public transit movement are looking upon the June 7 Ontario provincial election with a combination of gloom and a glimmer of possibility. Gloom, because the lead that the Ford-led PC’s have promises to signal a roll back of many of the important but moderate gains we Continue readingFighting for Toronto public transit in the provincial election
By Gerard Di Trolio On February 10 at the IBEW Local 353 offices, the Tamil Workers Network held a community forum on workers’ rights. The forum’s goal was to reach out to the Tamil community in Toronto and let them know how their rights at work are changing because of Bill 148 and involved speakers Continue readingTamil Workers Network raising its community profile
By Donna Burman Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 is demanding safety in the workplace after a contract worker hit a unionized TTC employee with 30 years on the job on August 15, 2017. This was the latest incident involving contract workers that brings to the forefront that observing cost puts workers safety at risk. Continue readingSafety is the cost of contracting out at the TTC
By Donna Burman It has been just over one month since the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) implemented random testing in safety sensitive positions. In that time, five employees have tested positive for alcohol or drug impairment. This pro-active approach seemed to stop impairment before safety is impacted. However, does it establish a significant problem within Continue readingThe Effectiveness of Random Testing at the TTC