April 27, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: Elizabeth Rowley – 416-469-2446 office; 416-820-2932 cell

Defeat Back to Work Legislation!
Defend Free Collective Bargaining and the Right to Strike!

Communist Party (Ontario) leader Elizabeth Rowley today condemned Liberal legislation to send striking TTC workers back to work, and called on the NDP to vote against the legislation and to defend the right to strike in Ontario.

"Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union is one day into a legal strike. There is absolutely no justification for back to work legislation, and we call on the government to withdraw the legislation and on the opposition parties to vote against it,” said Rowley.

"The NDP in particular has the power to delay implementation of this legislation if it comes to the table, and that is exactly what Mr. Hampton and his members should do. The NDP says it defends workers’ rights. The NDP caucus has the opportunity and the responsibility to stand up for free collective bargaining and the right to strike today. Millions of Ontario workers and their families expect no less today."

"The ATU has been in a strike position for some weeks, but remained on the job and continued bargaining in the hopes of bargaining an agreement without having to resort to strike action, as TTC management and Mayor David Miller claimed they also intended to do."

"This strike could have averted if the TTC, the provincial government and Mayor Miller had been prepared to negotiate, and dumped their relentless demands for concessions. This is the real cause of the strike. And this is no doubt why ATU members voted against the tentative agreement by a large majority."

"Further, Premier McGuinty’s threats last weekend, while bargaining continued, to declare the TTC an essential service was a clear provocation. Since the province is the delinquent funder when it comes to the TTC and public transit in Ontario, the government’s interests in this are transparent and clearly at odds with the public interest."

"For all these reasons this legislation must be defeated. The CPC (Ontario) stands with workers in Ontario fighting for their rights and for a living wage, including the right to strike and free collective bargaining. Ontario workers are waiting to see who in the Legislature will stand with them, and to defend their legal rights."