LABOUR COUNCIL DELEGATES MEETING
Thursday, February 5, 7:30 p.m.
OFL Building, 15 Gervais Dr.
ON THE AGENDA - Black History month
Thursday, February 5, 7:30 p.m.
OFL Building, 15 Gervais Dr.
ON THE AGENDA - Black History month
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ELECTION 2015
The federal Conservatives have governed Canada for ten years and it's time for a change. Under Stephen Harper every aspect of Canadian politics has been adjusted to serve the Conservative Party and the key sections of capital that it answers to - oil + gas, mining, agribusiness and finance. The Harper regime has exercised a ruthless approach to any opposition in civil society or in Parliament - slashing funding, smearing reputations, imposing gag orders, and habitually abusing legislative power time. Labour Council has prepared a report card on the Conservative record, and it's not all F's! Download and circulate to anyone who cares about Canada's future. For the statement on The Election 2015 click here and for John Cartwright's OP-ED in the Toronto Star click oped |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
February - Black History month February 6 & 7 - CLC Election Preparation conference February 21- Filipino Network March 7 - IWD May 29 - Bromley Armstrong Dinner Ma 23 - AWOC HELP TAKE MESSAGE TO THE DOOR! Join Postal Workers Fight Canvassing starts at 9:30 February 28 - Scarborough & Mississauga March 28 - Scarborough & Brampton 
“Bottles Not Cans”: Steelworkers and supporters will hit the beer
stores on Saturday January 24th to support 120 workers at Crown
Metal Packaging in Toronto have been on strike for over 17 months. Instead of negotiating a fair deal with the strikers, the company is using scab labour to produce cans of Molson, Coors, Labatt, Budweiser and many other beers. Instead of buying beer in scab cans, buy bottles instead! Please circulate the leaflet here.
Ready for the New Year - the latest Labour Action features a report card on the Conservative government (it's not all F's!) and great articles on schools, pensions, 2104 elections, and generous giving.
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Statement from Toronto's Public Education Unions
The recent Review of the TDSB by Margaret Wilson and the consequent directions from Education Minister Liz Sandals are troubling to say the least. There is no doubt that the intervention by the Ontario Government into the affairs of the TDSB is as much about closing schools and reducing the democratic role of Trustees, as it is about fixing the dysfunctional relationships between Trustees and senior staff. Download PDF DEFEND DEMOCRACY AND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
The Ontario government has launched a wholesale attack on the Toronto District School Board and the role of trustees in fighting for accountable education and against the sell-off of public assets. A special meeting hosted by the TDSB to hear from the public about concerns with the Minister of Education’s Directives will be held on Monday January 26th at 4:30pm at 5050 Yonge Street. Trustee Chris Glover’s article in the Toronto Star is a brilliant explanation of what is happening. You can read it at tinyurl.com/trusteeglover. Read the backgrounder written by CUPE 4400’s Katie McGovern. FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE MINISTER
The Ontario government has just released a directive ordering the Toronto District School Board to make drastic changes to the role of school trustees, and clearing the way for closing up to 100 schools. We have been down this road before. When the Mike Harris government was attempting to impose its will on school boards across Ontario, it accused the trustees in Toronto and other cities of being “dysfunctional” if they resisted the Conservative directives. The behaviour of a small number of trustees and Board staff was rightly called into question. But in fact many of the individuals who were in the centre of the controversy have gone, either of their own accord or by defeat in the last election. In fact, half the TDSB trustees are newly elected by the public – democracy is at work in renewing the composition of the Board. Before the directive of the Minister of Education is implemented, there are some questions that need to be answered. Click here for the Five Questions for the Minister.  Click the image to download the poster.
SEND A MESSAGE TO THE PREMIER The Honourable Kathleen Wynne
Dear Premier Wynne, I am tired of hearing politicians talk about financial budget pressures when their governments have squandered billions of dollars in public revenues through corporate tax cuts. There is no reason that the tax rates for corporations cannot be restored to the level they were when the Liberal government was first elected in 2003. Corporate Canada is sitting on over $600 billion in “dead money” they refuse to invest in new jobs. Please include an increase in the corporate tax rate in your 2015 provincial budget. Simply copy and paste the text on to your email and click premier@ontario.ca and hit send. *************************************
THE WORK OF WINNING HUMAN RIGHTS IS NEVER OVER
December 10th marked the date of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations sixty-six years ago. That important act was the result of many years of struggle against racism and colonialism, combined with the horrors of the Holocaust that were still fresh in the memories of humankind after the Second World War. Today's headlines remind us that the work of winning human rights is never over. From the incidents in Ferguson Missouri and New York City, to the rampant evidence of sexual harassment and violence against women, we are reeling with the knowledge that so much more needs to be done. There is welcome news at the same time – the efforts of the Canadian Olympic Committee to support gay and lesbian athletes are to be applauded, particularly in the aftermath of Sochi. Read the Toronto Star Op-Ed by Gary Pieters and John Cartwright tinyurl.com/lq68l5f ****************************************
Support members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). Join the community canvass to defeat the Harper Government’s assault on Canada’s postal service.
Don’t let the Conservatives eliminate door-to-door mail delivery. Don’t let them eliminate thousands of good jobs.
As the Federal election draws closer, CUPW Toronto and CUPW Scarborough in collaboration with the Toronto & York Region Labour Council have scheduled campaign canvassing in key conservative ridings. It is time to put responsibility for cuts to postal service directly on the heads of individual Conservative MPs. Many people are unaware that their Conservative MP shares the blame for the attack on door-to-door delivery. CUPW is combining newspaper ads with person-to-person canvassing to “connect the dots” - so that residents know their Conservative MP is responsible and is not deserving of their support in the upcoming election. Click here for more *************************************** ATU TRANSIT REPORT On November 10th ATU 113 released a ground-breaking report on how the TTC can better serve transit riders. As workers who operate and maintain the TTC (and know its workings best), ATU members are adding their voice to the ever-growing transit discussion. Along with supporting a low-income fare pass and time-based transfers, the report is full of sound recommendations for the new mayor-elect and City Council about the future of Toronto transit. Canada remains the only developed country without a National Transit Strategy. More specifically, the TTC has the lowest government subsidy in North America, and remains crucially underfunded with zero dollars from the federal and provincial governments for operational funding. For the report go to www.torontotransitfuture.ca
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Click on the image to download the guide
STRENGTHENING OUR UNIONS THROUGH EQUITY On September 6th, Labour Council released its latest contribution to the equity work in our movement. Entitled “A Leader’s Guide to Strengthen Unions: Moving Beyond Diversity… Towards Inclusion and Equity” the document is designed to be a tool for activists and leaders who want to build more powerful unions in greater Toronto, and across Canada. It is written by Jojo Geronimo, veteran labour educator former Executive Director of the Labour Education Centre. Nearly two decades ago, the Canadian labour movement took a hard look at the reality of racial discrimination in our workplaces, our society, and in our unions. The Canadian Labour Congress National Anti-Racism Task Force presented a disturbing but insightful report that called on the labour movement to take this issue seriously. It’s framework for action touched on every aspect of how we operate, as well as crucial issues of racism in broader society. Today, the makeup of the workforce is rapidly evolving. In greater Toronto, half of us were born outside Canada, and half of us are people of colour. This guide has been developed to help unions embrace change in a way that is effective and authentic. It is not meant to be an easy task. It will take determination and an openness to change from all levels of leadership. Together we can craft a more equitable and powerful labour movement for the 21st century – and this Guide can help make some of that happen. *********************************************** |
