Dear Local 79 Sisters and Brothers at TCHC:
ELECTION:
Now that the municipal election is over, it’s time to move forward.
Congratulatory messages have already been sent to the Mayor-elect as well as to the new and incumbent City Councillors.
John Tory has said that he wants to bring people together and move Toronto forward. We particularly welcome his commitment to replace the divisiveness and anger that has come to dominate decision-making at City Hall with inclusiveness and civility. Local 79 will make every effort to impress upon the new Mayor the importance of supporting public services as a way of achieving his promise to be a consensus builder. Local 79 will keep on advocating for the services you provide, as the new Mayor and Councillors set their agenda for the next four years. With the City Budget process soon to begin, we’ll be watching this new administration closely. We must be cautious as John Tory has spoken publicly about contracting-out.
We will also continue to expand our member engagement, consulting with you, as we protect valued public services.
Finally, I want to thank all the Local 79 members who worked on various campaigns as well as in the phone banks at the Local 79 office. Our members gave their time generously, and our involvement in the campaigns was seen in a very positive light by the communities participating at the local level. I have received nothing but appreciation for all the efforts made by Local 79 in the Municipal Election.
ISSUES:
Local 79 met recently with Greg Spearn, TCHC Interim President and Chief Executive Officer and senior Labour Relations staff urging them to work with us in order to achieve a more productive and respectful working relationship. Among several issues we raised, we asked Mr. Spearn to conduct a formal review of the duties performed by Youth Mentors as well as the duties of other CUPE Local 79 classifications that have been moved to the CUPE Local 416 Bargaining Unit. This has created a barrier to good labour relations and will continue to be a barrier until the situation is reviewed.
Local 79 was successful in negotiating new workload language in the last round of bargaining that provides a clear, and specific, process in the Collective Agreement for dealing with workloadcomplaints. A flyer and a workload issues form is in production and will be available soon.
EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS:
December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on December 10th. (For additional information, please visit our website at www.cupelocal79.org)
KUDOS AND AWARDS:
Congratulations to Ratha Mano this year’s winner of the Rudy Draxl Memorial Scholarship, and, Aidan O’Brien this year’s winner of the Stan Dalton Memorial Scholarship. These awards, worth $500.00 each, are awarded on the basis of a written essay submitted by the applicants. Congratulations also to the proud families of the winners!
P.S. Remember, if you sign up to receive only the electronic version of the President’s Report, you’ll be entered in a draw every time it’s published! Just log on to the Members’ Portal, go to Update Email, and select Electronic Mail Only.
We work hard at Local 79 to get our members special offers and savings from different businesses in Toronto. Please visit the Members’ Portal on the Local 79 website to find out the latest information on companies that want Local 79 members as customers, and are offering us discounts as an incentive.
In Solidarity,
Tim Maguire
President
