Some 3,000 academic workers at York University walked off the job Monday after the union representing them and the school failed to reach a deal on a new collective agreement.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/york-university-strike-1.7125523
OFL Presents Young Workers Toolkit
The OFL has recently released a new digital resource for young workers entering unionized environments called the Young Workers Toolkit. The goal of the guide is to nurture young workers who want to be active participants in their local, unit, affiliate, and/or regional labour councils, but are unsure of what concrete steps can be taken to reach that goal. Please share widely with all the young workers in your life!
PSAC are planning a conference on Saturday, February 10th as part of the organizing drive to support the campus organizers. The conference aims to provide an overview of the big themes and skills needed to unionize the workplace. We also want to connect student workers to organizing and social movements that are happening in the broader communities.
If you are able to spread the word and share it with your network to anyone who may be interested, that would be greatly appreciated! Here are some links below:
Conference registration:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/organizing-conference-tickets-789240428367
Campaign: https://www.unionizewlu.ca/
Deficits and budget cuts are a systemic problem across the post-secondary sector across all of Ontario. We are all being forced to do more with less, or in our case less with less. The Ford government is doing everything it can to privatize not only our healthcare system but also education.
We can no longer sit back and think that Ford’s policies are someone else’s problem. While the next provincial election is a long way off this should not mean that we do not call out our local MPPs. This is a call to action; to stand against those are seeking to dismantle public education.
November 15, 2023
Ministry of Colleges and Universities
TORONTO — Today, Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, issued the following statement in response to receipt of the blue-ribbon panel’s report:
“Our government created the blue-ribbon panel of experts to provide advice and recommendations for keeping the postsecondary education sector financially stable and focused on providing the best student experience possible.
Over the past few months, the panel conducted research and consultations with key stakeholders. Their work was guided by the following principles:
The blue-ribbon panel’s report with their recommendations is now available online. This is a major milestone on the path to supporting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of the postsecondary sector, now and for years to come.
Our government is carefully reviewing the panel’s recommendations to create a path forward that will continue to strengthen the postsecondary sector. It’s my expectation that we will work with postsecondary institutions to create greater efficiencies in operations, program offerings and sustainability of the sector. Before agreeing to any tuition increases however, we need to ensure that colleges and universities are taking the necessary steps to ensure that they are operating as efficiently as possible. I look forward to working with postsecondary institutions in the weeks ahead to determine how best to achieve these shared objectives.
I would like to thank the panel members, and everyone who took the time to share their valuable perspectives with the panel.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Harrison for acting as the chair of the panel and lending his leadership and extensive knowledge in the finance, governance and operations of postsecondary institutions.
By continuing to work together with our partners, I am confident we will build on the solid foundation of the postsecondary system and protect it for current and future students, so they continue to receive the world-class education Ontario’s institutions provide.”
Media Contacts
Liz Tuomi
Minister Dunlop’s Office
Liz.Tuomi@ontario.ca
Ivo Felipe
Communications Branch
416-325-2746
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 31, 2023
ETFO joins OSSTF/FEESO arbitration process for Bill 124 wage remedy
TORONTO, ON — The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) is proud to announce that 3,500 education workers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) are joining with OSSTF/FEESO in their fight to reclaim wages unjustly lost under the Ford government’s disastrous and unconstitutional Bill 124.
“Today, we celebrate labour solidarity in the face of the Ford government’s continued attacks on our members and all workers who provide the vital public services that Ontarians rely on every single day,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Karen Littlewood. “Our solidarity is our strength, and I am encouraged to have ETFO’s education worker members join us as we stand up to Doug Ford and his government’s heavy-handed attempts to undermine public education in Ontario.”
Added ETFO President Karen Brown, “With the strength and solidarity of our members behind us, ETFO is prepared to work alongside OSSTF/FEESO to challenge Bill 124 during the binding arbitration process. Since its unconstitutional inception, ETFO has denounced Bill 124 and challenged the Ford government’s interference and overreach. We’re confident that by joining OSSTF/FEESO, ETFO members will benefit from a strong, united front that will result in a fair and just remedy.”
In September, OSSTF/FEESO’s Membership voted to approve a proposal guaranteeing that Members will receive a financial remedy for wages lost under Bill 124, which unfairly capped public sector wage increases to one per cent a year, causing severe staffing shortages and unnecessary disruptions to student learning.
Earlier this month, ETFO’s 3,500 education worker members ratified a four-year deal with the provincial government that included a similar agreement to ensure those members submit the Bill 124 wage remedy to binding arbitration.
The decision to bring ETFO members into the voluntary binding interest arbitration process, negotiated between OSSTF/FEESO and the Crown, will mean that the two unions will present a united front during the Bill 124 arbitration dates on January 15 and 16, 2024. Both groups will present evidence and arguments in support of a fair and just remedy for Members who had their wages unconstitutionally suppressed by the Ford government.
“It’s been nearly four years since the Ford government’s ill-fated decision to pass Bill 124, and the consequences of this devastating legislation have been felt by every education worker, student, and parent in Ontario,” concluded OSSTF/FEESO President Karen Littlewood. “Severe staffing shortages caused by Bill 124 have undermined student learning conditions and placed
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significant burdens on staff who work in public education. The ripple effects of this bill extend beyond the classroom, affecting all our public services, our economy, and most importantly students in Ontario. It’s well past time to right this grievous wrong and restore justice to our dedicated members.”
Noted ETFO President Karen Brown, “Earlier this year, instead of ending its attack on workers and moving to remedy, the Ford government doubled down on violating workers’ rights by moving forward with an appeal. This move, done in the midst of negotiations with ETFO and other education unions, undermined collective bargaining and wasted taxpayers’ money. Not another public dollar should be spent on their ill-advised attempt to violate workers’ rights. The premier and education minister must refrain from overreach, support all education workers and public education, and focus on reaching fair agreements in good faith.”
OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has over 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.
ETFO represents approximately 83,000 members, including public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel, and professional support personnel. Details about ETFO collective bargaining and bargaining dates are available at etfocb.ca.
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Contact: Caitlin Reid
Media and Communications Advisor
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
416-576-8346
Carla Pereira
Media Relations
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
416-962-3836
Fair Employment Week (FEW) is taking place from October 16 to 20, 2023.
FEW is CAUT’s annual event designed to raise awareness about precarious employment on campus and to support your local association’s organizing efforts to improve the working conditions of contract academic staff (CAS).
This piece was written and submitted by WLUSA Executive Member, Doug Roberts
On Wednesday, June 28th I attended an online session called “Labor & Disability Justice.” Now before you get in a huff because “labour” is spelled wrong, please remember that the session was organized by Labor Notes which is an American labour publisher out of Detroit. They are the same group that hosts the huge Labor Notes conference every two years. I attended it in 2010 in Dearborn, Michigan.
Their sessions typically aren’t very expensive, which is great for WLUSA’s bottom line. This year’s “Labor & Disability Justice” session was free which made it the most accessible to the widest number of people. The session content dealt with how advocates in the labour movement can help disability advocates and how their goals are often aligned.
All the speakers were interesting, but one was particularly noteworthy. His name is Sterling Johnson, and he is a graduate student at Temple University in Philadelphia. He spoke passionately about how he wanted to participate in a recent strike of grad students at his institution but ultimately couldn’t. The reason for his decision? Six days into the strike Temple cut off their health care. The University didn’t just cut off their supplementary health care benefits, but their health care entirely. That distinction makes me grateful to live in Canada with our socialized medicine.
When WLUSA Members went on strike for seventy days in 2002, we were cut off from our supplementary health benefits. We didn’t lose access to our essential health care or OHIP. If that had been the critical choice that we would have faced at the time, far fewer of us would have been manning the picket lines. We should be grateful that as Canadians we have access to health care without relying on it being provided by a private company through our employer. Some provincial governments have been supporting private health providers, including Doug Ford’s Conservatives here in Ontario.
Fortunately, there are groups that are opposing him every step of the way, like the Ontario Health Coalition. They organized a public referendum at the end of May to demonstrate how many Ontarians are opposed to the privatization of our health care. Quite a few WLUSA Members participated in that event, and there was even a polling station set up in the Concourse (Shout out to our Vice President, External Tracy Cochrane for spearheading that initiative!).
If the continued security of public health care is something that you support then you should find out more at the OHC website www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca. As Canadians living in Ontario we should be grateful that we still have access to public health care, thanks to the hard work of groups like the Ontario Health Coalition and WLUSA.
Hospital Workers and Supporters Rally at Bridgepoint Hospital in Toronto
Northern Ontario’s med school receives $10M gift
B.C.’s health-care crisis: First look at massive markups by ‘parasitic’ staffing industry
Conservatives approve policies to limit transgender health care for minors, end race-based hiring
New Black health-care provider directory aims to improve access to doctors for Black Canadians
Metro workers from 27 stores in the Greater Toronto Area have a new collective agreement after a month-long strike.
Metro workers ratify agreement after month-long strike | CTV News
It’s well established that unionized workers earn better wages and have better benefits than their non-union counterparts. Unionized workers also experienced much greater levels of job security during the COVID-19 pandemic. But if the advantages of union membership are so obvious, why are fewer than one in three workers in Canada unionized?
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