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ANOTHER WAVE OF CUPE WORKERS HIT THE STREETS!
People's Voice Toronto Bureau
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TWO CUPE LOCALS were on the streets in Toronto in late October - workers at Victoria Day Care and at SPRINT (Seniors People Resources in North Toronto). The three month walkout of determined workers at Madison Housing and Support Services, members of CUPE Local 3798.1, ended in October.
The past summer saw lengthy CUPE strikes at University of Toronto Bookstore and Catholic Children's Aid Society. Many more CUPE Locals may be on the streets this fall: York University Teaching Assistants and Contract Faculty, Toronto Association for Community Living, Salvation Army Hostels, Jewish Vocational Services and Toronto District School Board support staff
The level of strike activity in Toronto is an indicator of the impact of five years of Harris cuts to social services, education and health care.
Social Service and Health Care workers have seen case loads skyrocket, with corresponding increases in workplace stress. Many locals have large contingents of low?paid part?time workers, most have workers who have not had wage increases for many years. Bosses routinely table concessions, aiming to take away hard earned benefits.
The tabling of 16 pages of concessions heralded the beginning of the Madison strike. The announcement from the "mis"management at Victoria Day Care that the workers' pension plan no longer existed sparked their strike at the end of June. At SPRINT, the bosses have denied workers a wage increase and have still not fulfilled the obligations of pay equity, outstanding since 1995.
A new spirit of militancy grows daily on the CUPE picket lines. Workers at most pickets have done much more than walk the line. Occupations of board of directors and governing council offices have been effective tools for drawing attention to the unions' demands.
Most recently the CUPE Executive at SPRINT were invited to a Board of Directors Meeting to discuss their concerns. A very surprised Executive Director Jane Moore was sandwiched between angry picketers when she naively thought she was escorting the executive out of the building. Some of them had calmly gone ahead to let in the rest of the picket line. The board responded by calling the police, while the picketers led a boisterous chorus of We Shall Not be Moved and Union Power
Community labour solidarity is key to helping CUPE members on the picket line. The days are getting colder, and locals are asking for donations of hats, scarves and mitts and regular donations of coffee, hot chocolate, soup. Donations, including much needed cash, can be made to CUPE Ontario, 301 Milner, Scarborough, Ontario.
For updates on picket line locations, please visit the website at www.cupe.on.ca.
| Editor: | Kimball
Cariou |