Member Spotlight: Rob Carnell
Our member spotlight this week is on Rob Carnell, a Heavy-Duty cleaner at Toronto Police Headquarters.
Rob came to the City after the aluminum company he worked for downsized in 2007, ending his 27-year career at the plant.
After his lay-off, Rob contemplated retirement. “But the lady said no,” he laughs, referring to his wife who felt they weren’t on secure enough financial ground, like many Toronto residents find themselves today.
Rob is grateful for his work at Police Headquarters and describes the cleaners as a close-knit group. They work diligently to keep the building looking great and are trusted around sensitive and confidential police information.
But his job at the City hasn’t given him the financial security he’d hoped for.
Hired as a part-time worker, Rob wasn’t guaranteed a minimum number of hours, nor benefits. But there was always hope that — with enough time put in and an earnest effort — he’d be given a full-time job.
In 2010 he got his wish and became a full-time temporary employee with set hours and benefits. It seemed retirement was on the horizon, but the feeling was short-lived when, just two years later, the City moved a whole segment of full-time cleaners to part-time, including Rob. Recently, they received notice that their shifts would be cut by an hour a day.
“That amounts to 5 hours less pay a week,” says Rob. “That affects benefits, sick time and pension if you qualify, so while it doesn’t sound like much, it ends up being a double-whammy when you have to pay your own health insurance and don’t get paid when you’re sick.”
With a two-year-old grandchild and rumours of another one on the way, Rob’s pushed his retirement further into the future. But he says he worries most about the City’s younger workers.
“I’ve already worked for 30 odd years,” he says. ““I’ve been lucky, I’m at the other end of the spectrum of my work life and it hasn’t been that bad.”
“I worry about the younger generation. They’re trying to start families and build lives in Toronto, but when you’re part-time and can’t count on how much money’s coming in, it’s hard.”
See our Good Jobs TO campaign for our plan on how to improve working conditions for everyone in Toronto.