Dear Fellow Local 79 Members,
City of Toronto Seniority and Service Review of Full Time Unit – Local 79 is still waiting for the City of Toronto to resolve all of the undetermined issues related to the Seniority and Service Review of the Full Time Unit. Local 79 has requested arbitration dates for a number of our members, deemed “late” by the City in filing for a review of their seniority. Local 79’s legal council has asked Arbitrator Goodfellow for dates to resolve outstanding issues related to vacation dates which have been adjusted because of the seniority review for full-time members. The City of Toronto has yet to provide accurate, up-to-date lists to Local 79 which would allow for the information to be verified. I shall keep you informed of any progress on these items.
Local 79 recently instituted a dedicated investigation meetings line. If the employer asks you to report to an investigation meeting, please contact Local 79 immediately. Local 79 attempts to ensure that every member who is to be investigated by the employer is provided with experienced Local 79 stewards. All requests for investigation meetings should be directed to the Local 79 investigation meetings line at 416-977-1629 ext. 500. It is our expectation that this new procedure will streamline the timely response to requests for investigation meetings.
Bargaining continues with TCHC and there are dates scheduled for negotiations throughout the month of February. I will continue to keep you informed as we progress.
Safety in Social Services Offices – On January 21, 2010, in a letter to the Ministry of Labour Operations Division, Local 79 requested assistance from the Ministry to ensure that the work order issued against the City of Toronto on January 8, 2009 is clearly, effectively and consistently implemented in all Social Services offices operated by the City of Toronto. Local 79 will continue to make every effort to ensure that all our members have workplaces that are safe.
Health and Safety in Parks Forestry and Recreation – Local 79 and the City have been working on the creation of a Threat Management Team in Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and the creation of a new Threat Tracking Incident Report form that will be used by the Division to track threats and acts of violence in the workplace. This, in coordination with the implementation of Bill 168, will serve to make reporting and dealing with violent threats and incidents more streamlined for the PFR Division and satisfies one of the requirements of the Ministry of Labour Order issued against the City of Toronto in 2008.
Local 79 recently filed a submission to the Le Sage Review Of the Eviction of Al Gosling and the Eviction Prevention Policy. We emphasized that at TCHC there is simply not enough staff to do the work that desperately needs doing, and strongly recommended that more front line staff and more resources be made available. Our submission also highlighted the fact that a whole level of care and advocacy needs to be re-established at TCHC. Reorganizations and restructuring have depleted one-on-one care and personal tenant advocacy, which must be restored. The Honourable Patrick LeSage has expressed his appreciation for our submission.
This year, the International Women’s Day Rally and March will take place on Saturday, March 6, 2010. On International Women’s Day, we commemorate and celebrate the struggles and achievements of women here in Canada and around the world. The rally will be held at OISE, 252 Bloor St. W., at 11:00 a.m., and the march to Ryerson University will begin at 1:00 p.m. International Women’s Day began just over 100 years ago when women marched through the streets of New York, calling for shorter work hours, better pay, and voting rights. Save the date and be sure to join us for this important event that marks the ongoing struggle for equality faced by women all over the world.
Lastly, I want to mention several occasions to celebrate our rich cultural diversity this month. A number of communities are celebrating Black History Month, and Lunar New Year, and February 15th was National Flag of Canada Day. Local 79 is proud to have a membership that so well reflects the rich diversity of the City of Toronto. We extend our best wishes to all our members and their families and hope they enjoyed the many events connected to these festivities.
In solidarity,
Ann Dembinski
President
