On Tuesday, the union representing 30,000 workers at Toronto City Hall voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike. CUPE Local 79, which represents workers in various positions such as public health, planning, city operations, employment and social services, childcare, leisure programs, water and food inspections, shelters, and long-term care, announced the decision.
CUPE Local 79 President Nas Yadolahi told reporters that over 90 percent of the workers who voted supported the strike. He emphasized that the workers are demanding a living wage for the critical work they do in the city. “Forty-three percent of part-time leisure program workers are earning minimum wage, and 94 percent are earning less than $26 an hour,” Yadolahi said. “This is the reality for many workers employed at Toronto City Hall.”
The union also highlighted concerns about staffing shortages, with vacancy rates at Toronto City Hall increasing by 65 percent since 2019. Long-term care jobs have seen a staggering 700 percent increase in vacancies since the pandemic began. “Burnout and low pay are driving workers to other emergency services,” the union stated.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow responded to the strike vote by saying that negotiations with the union were ongoing, and no date had been set for the strike.