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Link the Watershed

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The following is a proposal to link our communities with a network of four new conventional transit routes operated by our existing municipal urban transit providers (Brantford Transit, Grand River Transit, and Guelph Transit) as soon as possible; with additional service changes to the rural transit services Brant Transit, Wellington RideWell, Ride Norfolk, PC Connect, and GOST to create a highly integrated network of rural and urban transit services and linking the Watershed.

With close to 1 million people expected to live in Watershed Region by 2030, it is critical that we work together to make travel in the area easier for everyone.

Link the Watershed Transit

yellow maple leaf in the sun

University and PSAC reach tentative agreement for Graduate Teaching Assistants

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Sent on behalf of Pamela Cant, Chief HR & Equity Officer

I am pleased to advise that Wilfrid Laurier University and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have reached a tentative deal for the first collective agreement for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs).  PSAC represents approximately 338 graduate teaching assistants in Waterloo, Kitchener and Brantford.

The agreement was reached on March 23, 2022 following 25 meetings between the parties, and most recently with the assistance of a ministry appointed conciliator. 

The tentative deal will be reviewed for ratification by the university’s Board of Governors and PSAC members. Both parties have agreed to recommend ratification of the tentative agreement. The details of the tentative agreement are confidential until both parties ratify. 

  

The university is grateful to both bargaining teams for the hard work and goodwill they invested within a challenging financial and legislative landscape to reach an agreement they are each pleased to recommend.

Pamela Cant, MHRM (she/her)
Chief Human Resources & Equity Officer

Human Resources Department

Couple purchasing car from dealership

How to Choose the Right Vehicle

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When it comes to finding the right car for you, there are pros and cons to both new and used vehicles — but ultimately, your decision will likely come down to budget and your driving habits. So how do you choose the right vehicle for yourself? Consider these factors before deciding.

Read more at www.otip.com/article138.

GIG WORKERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS

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Gig workers played an essential role keeping our neighbours safe and keeping the restaurant industry afloat during the pandemic, yet they are denied basic rights at work available to all other employees. Now the Ford Conservatives are attacking all Ontario workers. Recommendations from the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee would create a third class of worker with less rights than full employees.

This is a Bill of Rights created by gig workers endorsed by Gig Workers United (CUPW), Uber Drivers United (UFCW), and the Ontario Federation of Labour to outline what minimum rights our governments must guarantee to ensure fairness and non-discriminatory treatment for gig workers.

  • A worker is a worker; Full employment rights with no carve-outs from minimum wage, sick leave, vacation pay and other minimum employment standards.
  • Payment for all hours of work: Paid time from when workers sign in until they sign out of the app with a clear and concise breakdown of how pay is calculated.
  • Compensation for necessary work related expenses to ensure gig workers’ real wages are not reduced below the minimum wage
  • Full and equal access to regulated benefits programs like Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and injury compensation (WSIB).
  • Data transparency: access to all data collected and how the algorithm affects workers, including any forms of discipline.
  • Make all work count: gig work must count towards Permanent Residency applications.
  • Put onus on employers to prove that workers are not employees, instead of workers proving that they are not independent contractors. Enshrine the predictable and purposive ABC test for employment status.
  • Recognize gig workers’ right to form a union, with the union they choose, to have a collective voice at work.
  • Workers must have the right to negotiate for livable wages and benefits with their employer. Real, worker-led sectoral bargaining to enable meaningful collective bargaining to raise industry standards
  • An end to arbitrary deactivations and fair compensation for glitches: Just cause protection against deactivation, access to a clear and free process and enforcement mechanisms for minimum standards. Compensation for technical issues on the platform’s end.

Sign on to support the Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Taken from: https://ofl.ca/action/gig-workers/

Goose with graduate cap

Why Organize UW?

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The University of Waterloo is one of the last universities in Canada without a union for graduate student teaching assistants, research assistants, contract faculty, technicians, and other academic research and teaching staff positions.

The lack of a union has meant diminished ability to affect our working conditions, get fair wages, lower health and safety protocols, no clear or consistent hiring processes, unchallenged harassment, and no support for mental health services, and dealing with problems with work/overwork alone.

The only way to address these issues and advance the rights of graduate student and other academic workers on campus is to organize a union and negotiate a collective agreement with the university.

Our goals are:

  • Fairness: Transparency, clarity, and standards at work
  • Equity: Enforceable protections for all
  • Security: Job security and clear rules for access of work
  • Safety: A safe and healthy workplace
  • Respect: Recognition as essential academic workers
  • Support: Proper training & supervision
  • Dignity: Improved mental health supports
  • Democracy: A collective voice for graduate workers over working conditions

Together, we can make the University of Waterloo a better space for academic workers.

Sign a card today.

about us fairness anti-racism health and safety access to work workplace democracy working environment

Committee to Organize uWaterloo
supported by CUPE

The Committee to Organize uWaterloo is a grassroots campaign to unionize the academic workers at the University of Waterloo. The campaign is supported by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada’s largest union.

Taken from: https://organizeuw.org/post/whyorganizeuw/

Leasing vs. buying a car: What’s best for me?

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Both leasing and buying have their benefits and drawbacks, so the right choice all depends on your budget, driving needs and lifestyle. We’ve outlined some of the key factors to consider when deciding between leasing versus buying your next vehicle to help you determine which option is best for you.

Read more at www.otip.com/article135.

Students and Workers Demand Safer return to campus

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Students and Workers Demand Safer return to campus

The Ontario University and Colleges Coalition echoes the concerns of students and workers across the province about unsafe and rushed plans to return to campus. With notice of returning back to in-person learning for some institutions as soon as January 31, students are nervous about inadequate safety plans, the accessibility of continuing with online learning and academic penalties for those who do not feel safe being back on campus. Without access to critical PPE such as N95 masks, uncertainties about ventilation, lack of routine reporting of COVID-19 case counts, and no physical distancing practices, students and workers know that such an abrupt plan to return to campus is not conducive to learning, and it seriously jeopardizes the safety of all campus community members.

Due to college and university administrations lobbying the Ontario government for campuses to have an exemption from capacity limits and physical distancing requirements, students and workers have been apprehensive of the rationale to allow overcrowded classrooms such as 500 person lecture halls with no restrictions being deemed as safe . Students and workers have witnessed the detrimental consequences of disregarding scientific evidence and loosening restrictions too soon. Additionally, many ventilation systems on campuses have not been properly updated or improved to help stop the spread of COVID-19, nor have standardized ventilation improvements been adequately reported.

It is vital that the decision to return to campus respects individual comfort, safety and wellbeing. Although there are students and faculty who are looking forward to returning to campus, others are not confident due to a lack of strong health and safety measures and are nervous and do not feel safe returning to in-person learning. Many students and faculty who are immunocompromised or live in a household with immunocompromised individuals, are not reflected in their administration’s plans to return to campus. Many workers who have continued to be on campus throughout the pandemic also have health and safety concerns that have not yet been addressed, and these must be addressed before campuses are opened to in-person learning.

With little notice, those who do not currently live in the same region or close to their college or university now have to scramble to find adequate and affordable housing, which was challenging before the pandemic. International students are amongst the worst affected as they continue to face barriers like sporadically changing travel advisories and bans, and difficulties in finding housing in the city or regions of their institutions.

Students, faculty and workers demand action from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Minister Jill Dunlop to address the numerous health and safety concerns of the plans to return to campus. The numerous health and safety concerns on campuses need to be addressed, and alternative plans must be made available. The following demands should be met before resuming in-person learning on campuses across the province

  • The Ministry and institutions need to ensure equitable access to personal protective equipment, vaccines, and COVID testing
  • Institutions should ensure consistent reporting of COVID-19 case counts, ventilation reports, and all public health guidelines
  • Workers and students should have the right to refuse mandatory in-person classes and have the option of attending online classes without any penalty or wage loss
  • A safer return to campus means students should have longer, more flexible deadlines to drop courses without academic penalties.
  • Institutions are to ensure sick days without academic penalty, mental health accommodations without a medical diagnosis requirement, and flexibility between in-person and virtual classes
  • Institutions must communicate a clear plan and threshold for a switch to remote-learning or a campus closure plan that is informed by public health guidelines
  • Institutions must ensure faculty, staff, and students have access to all the resources to ensure high-quality education for both in-person and online learning.
  • The provincial government must increase public funding for more teaching assistants and lower class sizes

In solidarity,

  • Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O)
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
  • Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
  • Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) – College Faculty, Support Staff, and University Sector
  • Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
  • Public Service Alliance of Canada Ontario (PSAC Ontario)
  • unifor
  • Ontario Federation of Labor

Taken from: https://campuscoalition.org/post/oucc-safe-return-2022/

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Message to university sector members from the OSSTF/FEESO Provincial Executive

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January 31, 2022

To the university sector members of OSSTF/FEESO


Over the coming weeks, Ontario Universities are returning to various forms of in-person work and/or learning, and we want you to know your union is here to support you as you face uncertain days and weeks ahead. Our membership is diverse, and so are the work environments at each of your respective post-secondary campuses.


University students and faculty continue to receive the support and services they need throughout the pandemic because of your dedication. Universities continue to function because of your work and commitment to education.


Many members are feeling nervous and frustrated in light of the provincial government’s actions and inaction throughout the pandemic. We want you to know that amidst this chaotic response, your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of colleagues, students and families, continues to be OSSTF/FEESO’s priority.


As in the past few years, we continue to be a trusted voice advocating for workers, students, communities, schools, and campuses. Your efforts and our collective strength will be critical over the next year. Please continue to seek out assistance and support from your local leaders.


We know the rest of the academic term will be a difficult time for all university sector members, their institutions, and the students they serve. Together, as a united membership, with your dedicated local leaders, we will overcome the challenges that lay ahead.

OSSTF/FEESO Letter to Premier Ford

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December 31, 2021


VIA EMAIL: doug.fordco@pc.ola.org


The Honorable Doug Ford
Premier of Ontario
Room 281
Legislative Building, Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1


Dear Premier Ford,


On December 16, to protect our schools, communities, and families, we wrote you requesting the implementation of a number of measures to stem the surge of the highly infectious Omicron variant. We acknowledged that the measures suggested would require considerable political will, but urged their consideration so that in-person learning, and the considerable benefits it brings to students, could continue in January.


Yesterday, Ontario’s families learned once again that your government still refuses to implement the preventative measures called for by education and public health experts. Given the importance of in-person learning, we share the Ontario Science Table’s view that school closings “should be part of a pandemic control strategy in only the most catastrophic circumstances.”


Ontario’s students cannot afford a repeat of last January, with more school closures and learning disruptions.


We urge you to act immediately and implement the following measures to address COVID-19 in schools, so that students can safely enjoy the benefits of in-person learning:


• reduce class sizes to promote physical distancing;
• increase effective vaccination rates in our school communities by publicly promoting the importance of vaccination for students;
• prioritize access to booster shots for all education workers;
• add COVID-19 to the list of designated diseases in Ontario Regulation 261/13 Designated Diseases under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA);
• improve ventilation and install HEPA filters in ALL classrooms and public spaces in schools and campuses, with publicly available air quality metrics and standards;
• ensure the non-fit-tested N95 mask orders by school boards are filled and delivered immediately;
• provide the best possible masks to all students, with improved guidelines to ensure masking compliance;
• implement stricter screening and isolation requirements;
• implement a more robust testing and contact tracing regime, which includes providing all education staff with regular access to Rapid Antigen Tests, and prioritizing PCR test accessibility for both education workers and Ontario’s students should they register a positive result on their rapid tests; and
• reconsider the short-sighted decision to decrease the isolation period from 10 to five days, as doing so unnecessarily risks reintroducing the virus into school settings.


In addition to these school-specific measures, to reduce the risk of sick Ontarians from infecting their colleagues at work, we ask that you improve the temporary paid sick leave program, as the three days of limited benefits this program provides will be insufficient to prevent workplace outbreaks. We also ask that you ensure all workplaces, especially larger ones, have easy access to testing capacity to ensure employees are tested if they have any symptoms.


As we have previously communicated, we believe current circumstances require additional community-based infection prevention and control measures, as recommended by the Ontario Science Table, including more effective reduced-capacity rules, enforcement of vaccine passports, and masking in all indoor spaces.


These measures are now more necessary than ever for safe schools and sustainable in-class learning. As we have stated many times throughout this pandemic, we urge you to contact us to discuss how we can assist in the implementation of these measures.


Yours truly,
Karen Brown, President
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario


Barb Dobrowolski, President
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association


Karen Littlewood, President
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation


Mike Morgan, Chair
Ontario Council of Educational Workers


Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President
Ontario Public Service Employees Union


Anne Vinet-Roy, présidente
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens


Laura Walton, President
Ontario School Board Council of Unions – CUPE


cc :


VIA EMAIL: christine.elliott@pc.ola.org


The Honorable Christine Elliott
Minister of Health
5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON M7A 2J3


VIA EMAIL: stephen.lecce@pc.ola.org


The Honorable Stephen Lecce
Minister of Education
5th Floor, 438 University Ave.
Toronto, ON M5G 2K8

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Email: wlusaadmin@wlu.ca

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