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Local 79 Council Briefing – May 2016 – Operating Variance Report Shows Chronic Vacancies

Local 79 Council Briefing - May 2016 - Operating Variance Report Shows Chronic Vacancies

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34 St Patrick St,
Toronto, ON M5T 1V1

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416 977-1629

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416 977-9546

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CUPE Local 79 members showed up at today’s rally to defend our Charter-protected right to protest (coinciding with the Charter’s birthday!). City Council is considering a by-law that could severely limit our ability to protest, strike, and picket — the very tools workers and communities rely on to push for change. Tell your City Councillor and Mayor Olivia Chow to reject any by-law that undermines our right to protest.
The work and services provided through Toronto’s City Hall are indispensable. Every day, thousands of front-line workers in unions like CUPE Local 79 ensure our city functions and runs smoothly, despite the resources available to them. Elected Councillors are part of the system that keeps Toronto working—representing their constituents and governing. The political staff who support them are equally essential. At today’s City Council meeting, Councillors will vote on a report proposing a 24% wage increase for themselves after years of only inflationary adjustments. Meanwhile, City of Toronto workers, bound by a five-year collective agreement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have received average increases of just 1.25-1.5% per year—well below inflation. While the most recent round of negotiations secured better outcomes for front-line workers, no one received a raise anywhere near 24%. The average hourly wage of a Local 79 member working for the City is approximately $36 an hour. Toronto City Councillors deserve fair compensation, as do their staff—who currently receive only cost-of-living increases at the discretion of their Councillor and are fighting an unnecessary battle with City Hall just to form a union for fair wages, representation, and protections. As City Council debates this report, Local 79 urges Councillors to also request a study on front-line City positions that are lagging behind comparable municipalities. If Councillors believe they deserve a raise to keep up with the cost of living, they must recognize that the same applies to the unionized workers who keep Toronto running.
Yesterday, CUPE Local 79 members voted in record numbers to ratify their tentative agreement with the City of Toronto—one that sets a new standard for fairness and worker power. For the first time, Local 79 has eliminated minimum-wage jobs at the City, ensuring no worker is left behind. Flat-dollar wage increases for lower wage earners signal a shift toward greater equity by lifting the bottom up, marking this contract as a breakthrough in municipal labour agreements. The agreement also takes steps with general wage increases and special wage adjustments to curb the recruitment and retention crisis, which had seen City of Toronto talent leave for employers with better pay and working conditions. “This is more than a contract—it’s the start of a movement,” said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. “Workers are organizing, demanding fairness, and making real change happen. Toronto residents rallied behind City workers, knowing this was their fight too—for fair wages, good public services, and an end to minimum-wage employment at the City. Thousands of them, with the help of @fairwagesnow, @progresstoronto, and @cupeontario, sent letters to City Hall calling for fair wages for City workers.”
Today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Today, CUPE Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi was invited to speak on a panel alongside other advocates: Neethan Shan (Urban Alliance on Race Relations), Melissa Wong (Social Planning Toronto), Andrea Vasquez Jimenez (Policing Free Schools), and Sarom Rho (Migrant Workers Alliance for Change). Their discussion focused on the power of worker organizing, the fight for racial justice, and the need to hold City Hall accountable. Racial justice is workers’ justice!
CUPE Local 79, the union representing 30,000 City of Toronto workers, has reached a tentative agreement with the City after months of negotiations. This outcome stands as a direct result of City workers standing up in historic ways for the public services they take immense pride in delivering. City workers turned out in record numbers to demand better, with 90% voting to approve a strike mandate if a fair deal could not be reached. Throughout the bargaining process, members continued to rally around their demands—signing petitions, sending thousands of emails, attending strike schools, attending practice pickets, and signing up for picket shifts in preparation to take action if necessary. Their organization and solidarity led to meaningful improvements in this agreement. For the first time in the City’s history, CUPE Local 79 has achieved an end to minimum-wage jobs. No City of Toronto worker will earn minimum wage for the duration of this agreement, marking a significant step forward in ensuring fairness and dignity in public sector employment. Additionally, while the City’s initial proposed wage increases were not sufficient, sustained pressure from members led to gains beyond the general wage increases achieved. Through negotiations, a majority of Local 79 members will receive additional pay improvements through special wage adjustments. These measures will go a long way in protecting Toronto’s public services and turning the tide on the recruitment and retention crisis that has plagued the public service for years. For the first time, Local 79 has also negotiated a dollar amount increase for lower wage grade workers alongside the percentage increases for all members. This progressive policy helps reduce the income disparity in the workplace that has grown due to successive percentage-only increases. This agreement ensures that the lowest-paid workers see meaningful wage improvements while still securing strong increases for all members. Workers also fought back against a deal that would have forced them to accept a contract already negotiated with another union—a workforce entirely distinct in its make-up, job classifications, and pay scales.
CUPE Local 79 members showed up at today’s rally to defend our Charter-protected right to protest (coinciding with the Charter’s birthday!). City Council is considering a by-law that could severely limit our ability to protest, strike, and picket — the very tools workers and communities rely on to push for change. Tell your City Councillor and Mayor Olivia Chow to reject any by-law that undermines our right to protest.
The work and services provided through Toronto’s City Hall are indispensable. Every day, thousands of front-line workers in unions like CUPE Local 79 ensure our city functions and runs smoothly, despite the resources available to them. Elected Councillors are part of the system that keeps Toronto working—representing their constituents and governing. The political staff who support them are equally essential. At today’s City Council meeting, Councillors will vote on a report proposing a 24% wage increase for themselves after years of only inflationary adjustments. Meanwhile, City of Toronto workers, bound by a five-year collective agreement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have received average increases of just 1.25-1.5% per year—well below inflation. While the most recent round of negotiations secured better outcomes for front-line workers, no one received a raise anywhere near 24%. The average hourly wage of a Local 79 member working for the City is approximately $36 an hour. Toronto City Councillors deserve fair compensation, as do their staff—who currently receive only cost-of-living increases at the discretion of their Councillor and are fighting an unnecessary battle with City Hall just to form a union for fair wages, representation, and protections. As City Council debates this report, Local 79 urges Councillors to also request a study on front-line City positions that are lagging behind comparable municipalities. If Councillors believe they deserve a raise to keep up with the cost of living, they must recognize that the same applies to the unionized workers who keep Toronto running.
Yesterday, CUPE Local 79 members voted in record numbers to ratify their tentative agreement with the City of Toronto—one that sets a new standard for fairness and worker power. For the first time, Local 79 has eliminated minimum-wage jobs at the City, ensuring no worker is left behind. Flat-dollar wage increases for lower wage earners signal a shift toward greater equity by lifting the bottom up, marking this contract as a breakthrough in municipal labour agreements. The agreement also takes steps with general wage increases and special wage adjustments to curb the recruitment and retention crisis, which had seen City of Toronto talent leave for employers with better pay and working conditions. “This is more than a contract—it’s the start of a movement,” said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. “Workers are organizing, demanding fairness, and making real change happen. Toronto residents rallied behind City workers, knowing this was their fight too—for fair wages, good public services, and an end to minimum-wage employment at the City. Thousands of them, with the help of @fairwagesnow, @progresstoronto, and @cupeontario, sent letters to City Hall calling for fair wages for City workers.”

CUPE Local 79

Keeping Toronto at its best is what gets us up every morning. The work is worth it. And so are we.

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