OCEU joins CUPE Ontario Rally outside Ministry of Labour

TORONTO, ON –(COMMUNITYWIRE)– OCEU/CUPE 1750 will join CUPE Ontario members and allies from across the province will march to the Ministry of Labour tomorrow to offer their support and solidarity to fellow members from three separate CUPE locals that are currently on strike.

Starting at noon, over 1200 OCEU members in front of the WSIB head office at 200 Front Street West will march to join the contingent coming from the CUPE Ontario convention in front of the Ministry of Labour offices at 400 University Avenue.

The striking workers are all employees of vastly different employers, but all find themselves facing similar battles with hostile, short-sighted, and ill-intentioned employers:

CUPE 5525: a local of 25 personal care assistants at Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged. This small but dedicated group of twenty-five workers has been fighting for a first collective agreement since 2022. Rather than bargain a fair deal, Villa Colombo has put continuity of care for elderly residents at risk by paying scab labour higher wages than it pays its existing staff.

CUPE 1750: workers at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are demanding their employer take steps to reduce the dangerously high workloads that are driving up rates of depression and anxiety among them. WSIB has given rebates of $4 billion to employers this year but won’t invest any of the remaining billions of dollars of surplus to improve working conditions for staff and the workers of Ontario.

CUPE 2073: more than 200 members at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) are fighting back against low wages that impact the quality and depth of services that Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians receive. Meanwhile, the salary of CHS president and CEO Julia Dumanian topped $340,000 last year.

WHAT:
Rally and media availability with CUPE Ontario leaders and members

WHO:
Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario
Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750
Mara Waern, President, CUPE 2073
Laura Walton, President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Marit Stiles, Leader, Ontario New Democratic Party

WHEN:
Thursday, May 29 at 12:30 pm

WHERE:
Ministry of Labour, 400 University Avenue, Toronto

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative
wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401

Mary Unan
CUPE Communications Representative
munan@cupe.ca
647-390-9839