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CDRC Briefing note April 2017

CDRC Briefing note April 2017

Connect with Local 79

34 St Patrick St,
Toronto, ON M5T 1V1

Phone

416 977-1629

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416 977-9546

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CUPE Local 79, representing 30,000 City workers, has officially requested a No Board Report in its ongoing negotiations with the City of Toronto, moving closer to a potential strike or lockout deadline. Despite months of bargaining, the City has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations, forcing frontline municipal workers to take a stand. “City workers have had enough,” says Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi. “After years of being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid, we refuse to accept a deal that keeps us falling further behind. We are prepared to stand up for what we deserve, and we won’t back down.” Last month, over 90% of City workers voted in favour of a strike mandate, in a historic turnout. Toronto’s municipal workers have endured years of stagnating wages amid rising inflation. CUPE Local 79 members are demanding fair wages, an end to mismanagement, an end to the City being a minimum wage employer and an end to the many staffing crises facing divisions across the City. After months of negotiations, the City has yet to propose solutions to the following: - Vacancies across the City have ballooned by 65% since the pandemic, with roughly 1400 positions unfilled. - The staffing crisis in Long-Term Care is at a level never before seen. Currently there are over 500 vacancies, a 700% increase from pre-pandemic levels. - Turnover rate for call takers and dispatchers at the Central Ambulance Communications Centre more than tripled over the last 5 years. Resignations accounted for 47% (55 of 117) of the call takers’ and dispatchers’ departures for the last five years. - Recreation programs are the most used service by City residents, yet they are largely operated by low wage workers. Out of 12,000 part-time staff, only 69 received health benefits through the City.
On a day when the City of Toronto declares a major snowstorm and schools close across the city, Toronto City workers are still tasked to be on the job — caring for our kids, keeping childcare centres and recreation centres open, and ensuring essential city services continue to run. Let’s take a moment to recognize and thank them for their work. Their work is critical, and investing in public services is worth it.
As Toronto City Council begins debating the 2025 City Budget, we joined 20 other organizations to demand they Fund Our City! The rally came as new polling confirmed that a majority of Torontonians support increased investments in city services (see previous post).
Majority of Torontonians support investments in City services and fair wages for workers, new poll finds. An online poll of Torontonians found that 81% support investments in city-run services. The most commonly used city services among respondents were parks, pools and wading pads (37%), recreation programming and community centres (25%), employment services (20%) and 311 (16%). Among those that expressed an opinion, 60% of respondents believe that all City of Toronto workers should make above minimum wage given the current cost of living, and 75% agree that in a scenario where workers are leaving for higher paying jobs the City should respond with targeted pay increases. On negotiations with Local 79, 73% of those asked believe that Mayor Chow and City Council should work to reach a deal with city workers. “On the eve of the vote for the 2025 City of Toronto budget, it is clear the residents of Toronto want to see city workers make above a poverty wage after nearly two decades of austerity. Torontonians understand that minimum wage just isn’t cutting it and that investments in our services and in the workers who deliver those services are necessary”, said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. Local 79 has been highlighting the crises across City of Toronto divisions from nearly two decades of austerity. Most importantly - the Local has spoken about part-time recreation workers who make minimum wage. An online survey of representative sample of 1,001 Torontonians was commissioned by CUPE Local 79, and executed by Crestview Strategy. The survey was fielded between February 5 and 7, 2025.
Yesterday, CUPE Local 79 held its first Picket Captain training, as we must prepare for the possibility that we will need to use our strongest tool: our collective power to withdraw our labour and push the City of Toronto to meet our reasonable contract demands.
Toronto’s 2025 Budget: Rebuilding requires investing in workers For a decade, the City of Toronto has lived under a climate of austerity which has affected not just the residents of our city but its workers. Our buildings are falling apart, our services are stretched thin and the staff who run our city are being run off their feet. Today, Mayor Chow launched her version of the 2025 City of Toronto budget. We agree with the Mayor that in the middle of an affordability crisis, people need public services most and that it is finally time to rebuild our city. Rebuilding our city requires investments in its workers. As Torontonians struggle with the cost of living and try to lift each other up, our members are already doing the work necessary to build community. An investment in the recruitment and retention of the people who run our shelters, take care of our children and elderly, test our water, manage traffic, answer 311 calls, run our recreation programs, facilitate the building of affordable housing and so much more is vital. Today, we remain disappointed with the City of Toronto’s refusal to invest in the workers who have been providing life-saving harm reduction services to our most vulnerable residents. Instead of redeploying the qualified workers from The Works safe injection site and actually showing leadership, Toronto Public Health maintains their stance that these positions will be deleted. Equally concerning is the lack of emphasis on additional positions for call takers and dispatchers in the Central Ambulance Communications Centre and the lack of advocacy to the provincial government for more operating dollars. The crisis in emergency response times will not improve if there are no workers available to dispatch the additional paramedics that will be hired. Every Toronto resident should be concerned about not having enough ambulance dispatchers - this is a matter of life and death. Local 79 members ensure the City of Toronto functions. Our members deserve respect for their work and recognition of the crises impacting their labour.
CUPE Local 79, representing 30,000 City workers, has officially requested a No Board Report in its ongoing negotiations with the City of Toronto, moving closer to a potential strike or lockout deadline. Despite months of bargaining, the City has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations, forcing frontline municipal workers to take a stand. “City workers have had enough,” says Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi. “After years of being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid, we refuse to accept a deal that keeps us falling further behind. We are prepared to stand up for what we deserve, and we won’t back down.” Last month, over 90% of City workers voted in favour of a strike mandate, in a historic turnout. Toronto’s municipal workers have endured years of stagnating wages amid rising inflation. CUPE Local 79 members are demanding fair wages, an end to mismanagement, an end to the City being a minimum wage employer and an end to the many staffing crises facing divisions across the City. After months of negotiations, the City has yet to propose solutions to the following: - Vacancies across the City have ballooned by 65% since the pandemic, with roughly 1400 positions unfilled. - The staffing crisis in Long-Term Care is at a level never before seen. Currently there are over 500 vacancies, a 700% increase from pre-pandemic levels. - Turnover rate for call takers and dispatchers at the Central Ambulance Communications Centre more than tripled over the last 5 years. Resignations accounted for 47% (55 of 117) of the call takers’ and dispatchers’ departures for the last five years. - Recreation programs are the most used service by City residents, yet they are largely operated by low wage workers. Out of 12,000 part-time staff, only 69 received health benefits through the City.
On a day when the City of Toronto declares a major snowstorm and schools close across the city, Toronto City workers are still tasked to be on the job — caring for our kids, keeping childcare centres and recreation centres open, and ensuring essential city services continue to run. Let’s take a moment to recognize and thank them for their work. Their work is critical, and investing in public services is worth it.
As Toronto City Council begins debating the 2025 City Budget, we joined 20 other organizations to demand they Fund Our City! The rally came as new polling confirmed that a majority of Torontonians support increased investments in city services (see previous post).
Majority of Torontonians support investments in City services and fair wages for workers, new poll finds. An online poll of Torontonians found that 81% support investments in city-run services. The most commonly used city services among respondents were parks, pools and wading pads (37%), recreation programming and community centres (25%), employment services (20%) and 311 (16%). Among those that expressed an opinion, 60% of respondents believe that all City of Toronto workers should make above minimum wage given the current cost of living, and 75% agree that in a scenario where workers are leaving for higher paying jobs the City should respond with targeted pay increases. On negotiations with Local 79, 73% of those asked believe that Mayor Chow and City Council should work to reach a deal with city workers. “On the eve of the vote for the 2025 City of Toronto budget, it is clear the residents of Toronto want to see city workers make above a poverty wage after nearly two decades of austerity. Torontonians understand that minimum wage just isn’t cutting it and that investments in our services and in the workers who deliver those services are necessary”, said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. Local 79 has been highlighting the crises across City of Toronto divisions from nearly two decades of austerity. Most importantly - the Local has spoken about part-time recreation workers who make minimum wage. An online survey of representative sample of 1,001 Torontonians was commissioned by CUPE Local 79, and executed by Crestview Strategy. The survey was fielded between February 5 and 7, 2025.

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