R&F.ca Weekly Update
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- Published on Friday, 13 November 2015 03:15
- Written by editor
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TORONTO JANITORS TAKE ON PROPERTY MOGULS
A couple of dozen janitors and their supporters protested outside the corporate headquarters of Dream Office REIT, one of Canada’s largest estate companies, in downtown Toronto on Tuesday. The lunchtime rally was organized by the Service Employees International Union Local 2 in an effort to shed light on the company’s poor labour record. The companies that Dream REIT have chosen to contract out its cleaning services to have been accused of numerous labour violations such as not retaining when a contract was flipped because workers wanted to join a union, paying below the minimum wage and not paying proper severance and termination pay.
Amphora Maintenance, for instance is accused of not retaining 12 cleaners, who had a combined 60 years of experience, after a contract changes because they wanted to join a union. Another cleaning company, Impact Cleaning Services have been accused of failing to pay workers the provincial minimum wage and not paying vacation pay. The money sought by the 20 complaint totals almost $50,000. Read more!
LABOUR AND THE NEW CHINESE WORKING CLASS
By Justin Kong
With the devastating electoral defeat of the New Democratic Party last month in the 2015 Federal Elections, it’s clear that the Canadian left must adjust their strategy. The new strategy needs to support the development of a progressive, grassroots immigrant power to counter the presence of more conservative and moderate elements within these communities.
In the Chinese diaspora, while there are a number of strong progressive leaders at various levels of government and in the community at large, the presence of a mobilized, grassroots Chinese immigrant left has yet to be felt in recent years.
This lies partly in the fact that one group has long been unengaged: the Chinese immigrant working class. Read more!
POSTAL WORKERS: PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
By Erika Shaker
There are a host of reasons (some of them explored here) why the decision to eliminate door-to-door delivery across Canada was short-sighted, fiscally suspect, and wrong-headed. Post-election, the conversion plan has been placed on indefinite hold, but questions remain about what can be expected: a moratorium on reforms, or a return to door-to-door delivery for those who lost their service. And certainly the debate continues about service expansion (which apparently even Canada Post can get behind from time to time—after all, ‘tis the season!).
But too often what gets lost in the discussion is the human element—the ways in which neighbourhoods are made better, safer, more connected places because of the daily presence of those workers who provide eyes on the street and who are part of the rhythm of the community. Read more!
Check out our weekly labour news update every Monday for a summary of the past week's top labour news stories, and our feature labour video every Saturday! @rankandfilca Youtube r53 | r54
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