By Doug Nesbitt With files from Dan Darrah In a new press release, Uber has proposed new changes to “reinvent independent work” in Canada. Called “Flexible Work+,” Uber claims it will start paying into individual benefits, while calling upon provincial governments to make changes to policies to improve work conditions. Gig Workers United— a union Continue readingUber launches new union-busting offensive in Canada
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Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of sexual harassment. Names with an asterisk (*) have been changed to protect the privacy of some individuals interviewed. An investigation by Cole Rockarts Over the course of the past six years, at least six women have documented accounts of sexual harassment within the Winnipeg labour movement. Among the Continue readingSexism in Winnipeg’s labour movement
By Alice Chen & Zaid Noorsumar Part 6 of our Special Investigation into OPSWA The Ontario Personal Support Worker Association (OPSWA) is one of the only associations representing Personal Support Workers in the province. It has a president, but it has no governing board because OPSWA is in fact governed by its parent body, the Continue readingOPSWA’s governance structure: A family affair?
By Zaid NoorsumarPart 5 of our Special Investigation into OPSWA In late February 2021, the Globe & Mail reported the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA) had 49,000 members. If this is to be believed, then the association represents about a third of the province’s 130,000+ PSWs. According to the news media – which has Continue readingDoes OPSWA really represent 49,000 members?
By Zaid Noorsumar Part 4 of our Special Investigation into OPSWA Most Personal Support Workers I have spoken with support the demand for self-regulation. The consensus is that a regulatory body would standardize educational requirements, establish benchmarks, and hold workers to account when they make mistakes. The Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA) has been Continue readingOPSWA, self-regulation and the Ontario PC Party
Articles The Justice for PSWs strike and OPSWA “betrayal” OPSWA and its corporate friends Time to care? OPSWA’s inconsistency on LTC care standards OPSWA, self-regulation and the Ontario PC Party Does OPSWA really represent 49,000 members? OPSWA’s governance structure: A family affair? Blocked: OPSWA and its critics OPSWA’s social media misinformation Introducing the investigation The Continue readingThe Ontario PSW Association: A Special Investigation
By Zaid NoorsumarPart 3 of our Special Investigation into OPSWA In November 2020, the Ontario Progressive Conservative government finally committed to restoring a minimum care standard in nursing homes. The government’s decision was a response to intense criticism and months of activism by healthcare workers, their unions, family members of nursing home residents, and other Continue readingTime to care? OPSWA’s inconsistency on LTC care standards
Food courier Alexander Kurth discusses how Foodora workers in Toronto organized a union Introduction to the gig economy By Jordan House and Paul Christopher Gray The “gig economy” and the spread of app-based work have become prominent topics of conversation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Foodora, an app-based food delivery company, has become particularly notorious Continue readingGig Workers, Unite! Inside the Foodora union drive
Rankandfile.ca readers have voted! After last year’s prairie sweep of scumbags Jason Kenney and Scott Banda, Rankandfile.ca readers have voted for two Ontario turds. We’ve also saved some space for two important Dishonourable Mentions: meatpacking multinational Cargill, and Alberta Minister of Health Tyler Shandro. Mike HarrisPrivate Sector Scumbag of the Year Proving Rankandfile.ca readers have Continue reading2020 Scumbags of the Year
“I took every shift I could get, up to 70-hours per week, to make ends meet. With wages that low, this is what you have to do.” Devon Bartlett, Halifax airport worker By Lisa Cameron In September 2019, Justin Trudeau promised “a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour, starting in 2020 and Continue readingHalifax airport workers and Trudeau’s broken $15 promise
Rankandfile.ca’s readers had no trouble finding scumbags among the healthcare profiteers, union-busters and bought politicians. There’s a big steaming pile of human waste to consider for this year’s Scumbag of the Year awards. We’ve narrowed the field to 10 candidates. There are five public sector and five private sectors scumbag. As usual, past Scumbag of Continue readingVote for 2020’s Scumbag of the Year
It’s been a hell of a year, so let’s get together with family, friends and co-workers and share our stories about the boss. We continue Rankandfile.ca’s annual tradition of nominating and voting for Scumbag of the Year. The Awards Private sector Scumbag of the Year Public sector Scumbag of the Year The Rules In the Continue readingNominate your 2020 Scumbag of the Year