After a historic vote, which doubled the largest turnout in the union’s history, City of Toronto workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.
The City of Toronto is experiencing a crisis in retention and recruitment after nearly two decades of austerity and underinvestment. Since 2019, the vacancy rate in positions at the City of Toronto has increased by 65%. That increase is most notable in Long-Term Care, where vacancies have ballooned 700% since the pandemic.
The crisis is acutely felt across all divisions and branches, but is of particular concern in the Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) – where Local 79 members dispatch ambulances and stay on the line with residents while the ambulance arrives. Burnt out and underpaid, workers are leaving in droves to other emergency services. A recent Auditor General report highlighted that the retention rates in the CACC have been as low as 30%.
Many of the lowest paid jobs are caring jobs, including recreation workers or child care aides, or frontline service workers – cleaners, laundry workers or food service workers – for whom remote work is not an option. 43% of hours worked by Recreation Workers were paid at minimum wage and 94% of hours were paid below the 2024 $26 living wage for the GTA.
Recreation programs at the City of Toronto are constantly praised by the public and have received a 90% approval rate on the most recent survey conducted by the City. Recreation workers, however, operate multi-million dollar facilities while making minimum wage with no benefits, no sick days and no vacation.
“Today, our membership has given us a clear sign that they expect to see an end to a climate of austerity and that their work is worth being able to earn enough to live in the city they serve”, said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79.
We remain committed to negotiating in good faith and will continue bringing solutions to these crises to the bargaining table.
CUPE Local 79 represents 30,000 workers at the City of Toronto, delivering a wide range of services, including: public health, planning, City Hall operations, employment & social services, cleaning, court services, ambulance dispatch, child care, 311, recreation programming, shelters, water & food inspection, and long-term care.