Unifor Local 302 President’s Report-March 27, 2023
Unifor Local 302
Presidents Report
General Membership Meeting
March 27, 2023
International Women’s Day
March 8, 2023 was International Women’s Day. This is a day to celebrate and recognize the incredible contributions working women have made and continue to make in our country and around the world, and to regroup to face the challenges ahead.
We remember that International Women’s Day is rooted in the collective action of working women who came together on March 8th for gender equality, and for social and economic justice for everyone.
The United Nations is marking International Women’s Day with their chosen theme: DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
Women are more likely to face sexual harassment, cyberstalking, cyberbullying and other forms of online abuse. This can cause fear and anxiety, limiting their ability to participate in online activities and often spills over into their lives away from technology.
In our union’s work to combat the online harassment of journalists and media workers, we fight for gender equality.
In our union’s work to bargain gains for women in the workplace, including through pay equity and the women’s and racial justice advocate programs, we fight for gender equality.
In our union’s work to defend and expand public health care in Canada, and protect the working conditions of health care workers, we fight for gender equality.
In our effort to build an inclusive and representative union for everyone, we fight for gender equality.
We celebrate the amazing achievements of working women who are making a positive change in the world. Let us applaud the women trailblazers, supporters, nurturers, activists and fighters in our lives and thank them for all they do.
A breakfast was held at Unifor Local 636 Woodstock and was very well attended, as was the Women’s Day breakfast in London on March 3rd.
Wear red for Equal Pay Day
This year, Equal Pay Day will be recognized on April 4th, meaning that women will have worked an extra quarter of a year just to earn what their male counterparts made last year.
Yes, we are still fighting for pay equality in 2023.
Unifor is a member of the Equal Pay Coalition, which works to dismantle the wage gap and highlights major factors that contribute to women’s economic inequality including:
The underemployment of women. Women make up the majority of part-time workers.
Lack of access to affordable childcare for women who want full-time work.
· The segregation of women into lower paid job classes. In general, the higher the concentration of women, the lower the pay.
· Women’s dominance in minimum paying jobs.
· Women’s lack of access to collective bargaining
Together, through organizing, collective bargaining, and making political change, we can eliminate the gender pay gap.
So, wear red on April 4th, send your photos to women@unifor.org, and stand in solidarity for pay equity.
Unifor speaks out against proposed Bill 60
Unifor’s Assistant to the National Officers, Kelly-Anne Orr, presented the union’s position on the proposed Bill 60, “Your Health Act” to the Ontario government’s Standing Committee on Social Policy on March 20.
In her remarks, Orr said Bill 60 – which aims to expand the privatization of hospital services to for-profit entities – was tabled during an unprecedented time, when the health care system and health care workers have been stretched to the limit.
“This is a political choice that is not in the best interests of Ontarians or our health care system,” Orr said. “This government is going down a dangerous path. Health care workers, unions, community groups, and the media, have all warned of the downsides of privatized health care services.”
This legislation is not going to solve the problems this bill claims it will fix, such as reducing wait times for surgeries, medical procedures, and diagnostic imaging. It will exacerbate the crisis by starving the public health care system of resources.
Ontario continues to provide the lowest per capita funding for public hospitals and health care in Canada.
There continues to be under-used operating rooms and testing capacity in our public hospitals that could improve access to surgeries and procedures.
This legislation does not prevent the predatory practice of upselling and does not set out any standards regarding the upselling of services. This has the potential to leave Ontarians financially vulnerable when receiving services from a for-profit, private clinic, and to create competition for skilled workers across two different systems, amid a staff shortage across the health sector.
Bill 60 also raises some very concerning questions around public accountability for service providers, including allowing the minister to appoint a director who may be any individual or entity – a notable departure from the current requirement for the director to be an employee of the Ministry.
Under this bill, the third-party director would not be subject to the conflict of interest and ethics guidelines for public servants. They would not be subject to requirements related to financial disclosure or public access to information.
Further to its lack of transparency, Bill 60 also doesn’t contain provisions for public oversight by elected representatives. For example, there are no measures related to public notices, requirements for Cabinet approval, or a notice period. In other words, this legislation will enable the rapid expansion of private clinics with very little oversight or public consultation.
There are solutions to addressing the staffing crisis and the backlog of surgeries and diagnostic procedures in the provinces, said Orr. Solutions that focus on staff recruitment and retention and maximizing the public hospital capacity across the system.
Pushing public resources toward private clinics is not the answer. This legislation will allow this government to fast-track the approval of licenses for private clinics, while concentrating more decision-making power to less publicly accountable third-party individuals or entities.
“Bill 60 will bring significant changes to the province’s health care system by allowing private clinics to perform more services, with less public accountability and oversight compared to public hospitals,” said Orr.
“These measures will not strengthen our health care system but will instead erode our public hospitals at the cost of Ontario patients and taxpayers.”
National Bargaining Program
The Ontario dates for the National Bargaining Program, Town Halls are as follows for our Local
April 4, 2023. Kitchener – Waterloo,
Unifor Local 1106
301-487 Riverbend Drive
Kitchener, ON
5:30 pm-8:30 pm
May 10, 2023, London
Unifor Local 27
606 First Street
London, ON
5:30 pm-8:30 pm
These meetings will be to discuss the National bargaining strategies across all sectors within our union.
Lana Payne and Naureen Rizvi are planning to attend the London date.
Food and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP to the Office if you would like to attend one of these meetings.
Earth Day
April 22, 2023 is Earth Day and we have registered to clean CNR Park West Baseball Field located at the corner of Egerton and Pine on April 24, 2023 before the Executive Board meeting at 11:00 am.
Windsor Salt
The London and area Unifor Locals ( 302 and 27- London, 636 -Woodstock, 1859 and 88 – Ingersoll) went to Windsor Salt on Friday March 24th in a show of solidarity for the 250 striking salt mine employees of Unifor Locals 1959 and 240.
The workers have been on strike since February 17th and it wasn’t until March 22nd that the employer agreed to come to the table. The American owned employer with an annual revenue of over 90 million dollars, was out to gut the collective agreement, a 60 year old collective agreement and hire contract workers to do work of the bargaining unit. Our show of solidarity was greatly appreciated and boosted moral back into the striking members.
Ontario Updating COVID-19 Measures in Long-Term Care Homes
High vaccine uptake and effective antivirals allow Ontario to adjust its COVID-19 response.
Working with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario is taking a phased approach to updating COVID-19 measures for people living in, working in or visiting long-term care homes. The first phase involves realigning measures effective March 31, 2023, including:
Testing of staff, caregivers and visitors who don’t show symptoms (asymptomatic) is no longer required.
Masking outdoors is no longer recommended for residents, caregivers and visitors, although wearing a mask outdoors continues to be recommended for staff when they are close to a resident.
Daily temperature checks or screening of residents returning from an absence is no longer required.
Removing the limit of one caregiver at a time during a COVID-19 outbreak, or when a resident is symptomatic or isolating.
Social and physical activities can be held without adjusting for physical distancing.
Long-term care homes that have retained COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination requirements are also encouraged to revisit their policies and consider allowing visitors and qualified staff, regardless of their vaccination status.
Bargaining Update
Upcoming- Medavie; Maple View Terrace; Marshall Gowan Manor; Highview Residence; Bankside Terrace; Norfolk General Hospital
Tentative-Vision Retirement; Merrymount
Ratified- Nothing to report
Scholarships
Reminder that the scholarships are available upon request from the office. The deadline for submission is May 19, 2023.
In Solidarity,
Kevin Phillips
President
Unifor Local 302