Dear Local 79 Sisters and Brothers at Toronto Community Housing:           

TCHC Bargaining – Local 79’s bargaining proposals were ratified at a well-attended meeting on January 30, 2013. Local 79’s Bargaining Committee would like to thank all members who endorsed the proposals and added their valuable input. On February 14, 2013, Local 79 and TCHC exchanged bargaining proposals. We are concerned about some of management’s proposals.  However, these are early days in the bargaining process. Local 79 will continue to advance your interests and we will keep you informed. (TCHC Bargaining Bulletins are available on the Members’ Portal – www.cupelocal79.org). 

TCHC Re-alignment – Local 79 and management are meeting on a regular basis on the re-alignment and the creation of the new Resident Services Division. We will also be looking to meet with respect to the Facilities Management Division and Asset Management Division. We understand that these times of significant change can be stressful for our members. Local 79 is closely monitoring the re-alignment process to gauge the impact on you and your workplace.

In other great news, United Way Toronto has honoured Local 79 with two awards for our charitable campaign leadership. At the recent United Way Toronto Gala Dinner, Local 79 was presented with the “2012 United Way Toronto Spirit Award for Best Organizational Support in the Public Sector”.  In our first year of independent activities, we contributed nearly $18,000! Local 79 also received the “Joint Union Management Labour Campaign Award” for its Toronto Community Housing Corporation campaign in conjunction with CUPE Local 416, IBEW Local 353, and Carpenters’ Local 27. These two prestigious awards are well deserved recognition of our union as we carry on Local 79’s proud history of working collaboratively with community partners.  (more info –  www.cupelocal79.org)

At the end of January, Local 79 proudly joined more than 25,000 union activists at the Rally for Rights and Democracy at the Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Ontario Liberal government recently used legislation to quash the collective bargaining rights of teachers and teaching support staff.  Local 79 will stand in solidarity with other workers and organize to protect our members from further attacks.

On March 2^nd, Local 79 will be engaged in the Toronto and York Region Labour Council kick-off event organizing a campaign around the threat to workers of American-style right-to-work legislation. Such an anti-Union law would allow anyone in a unionized workplace to opt out of paying Union dues but still receive all the benefits of a Union contract.

On behalf of Local 79, I delivered a deputation regarding the community health impacts of a casino in Toronto to the members of this month’s meeting of the City of Toronto’s Board of Health. Over the next month we will be engaging our members to gain your input so that we can better represent your professional and personal concerns as this issue makes its way to City Council. (Take the survey – https://www.research.net/s/CasinoImpact)

Local 79 Unit Officers for TCHC and Bridgepoint attended the 6^th Annual Equity Symposium. Participants agreed that the day was a resounding success, providing a unique opportunity to learn from each other, share information, ask questions and get answers. This event is a joint undertaking with the City of Toronto and Local 79, and this year’s theme highlighted the very timely and serious issue of Mental Health in the Workplace.

This year’s International Women’s Day Rally and March will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2013 when thousands of women will take to the streets to defend women’s rights. The Rally will be held at OISE, 252 Bloor St. W., starting at 11:00 a.m., (St. George is the closest subway). The March to Ryerson University will begin at 1:00 p.m. Over 75% of CUPE Local 79 members are women. Come and celebrate and show our city the great women who take care of Toronto.

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 15^th 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,

Tim Maguire
President