Labour Day in Sudbury was hot, but the political climate for organized labour this past summer has been just as hot according to local labour leaders.
Labour Day 2023 was celebrated by the Sudbury District Labour Council at Morel Park on Second Avenue with hundreds of unionized workers and their families spending time in the sun, and in the shade, while enjoying games and a free community barbecue.
One of the speakers at the event was Scott Florence, executive director of the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre, who said the corporate employment "system" still has too many negative things that impact workers with not enough pay, not enough sick days and not enough opportunities to move forward.
"And that's why we're seeing such a hot labour summer. That's why we're seeing so many new unions being organized here in Canada, and across North America. But there's still so much work that needs to be done. And I know I'm preaching to the choir here when I talk about the need for organization, the need for better wages and the need for better protections," Florence told the gathering.
Florence said there are some key labour issues in Ontario that need to be resolved and this includes a better deal for gig workers -- workers who traditionally do temporary or part-time freelance jobs usually for an informal or on-demand basis.
He said Ontario's Bill 88 did not perform as promised. Florence said Bill 88 has actually undermined the rights of workers to be paid a living wage.
He said the bill sidesteps the reality of working conditions.
"So they're only paid for the amount of time that they're quote, unquote, actually working. It's like, if I only paid you at your cash register for the amount of time that you were actually keying something in dealing with a customer, to not paying you when you didn't have a customer in front of you. It's wrong. Gig workers deserve to be paid fully for all of the time that they're on the job, whether or not they're making a delivery at that exact moment," said Florence.
Also speaking at the event were local New Democrat MPP's Jamie West and France Gélinas. West said he was proud to be the NDP labour critic and he said workers in Ontario are in crisis and they are fed up with rising prices and the inability to afford everyday necessities. West said people have decided that enough is enough.
"And enough is enough with grocery store workers who can't afford to buy the groceries in the stores where you work. Or trades workers who can't afford to build the houses that you're building. People are fed up," West said.
He said the provincial Conservatives are more interested in handing over billions of dollars worth of land in the Green Belt in the Toronto area, while the federal Liberals keep promising anti-scab legislation yet they do not deliver.
Gélinas said Labour Day is a time to reflect on all the gains unionized workers have achieved over the years with better working conditions, better pay, pension plans and workload protection.
She said it is now time to apply all those good things for Personal Support Workers (PSWs). She said health care facilities across the North are begging for more PSWs.
"Did you know that we have hundreds of PSWs right here in Sunbury that love what they do; that they want to care for us. But if they work as a PSW they can't pay the rent and feed their kids. We need to make PSW jobs good jobs, with good pay, pension plans, with benefits, with a workload that our workers can handle. We need those jobs to be full time, permanent and unionized," Gélinas said.
Also speaking was Nicole Besette, president of OPSEU Local 677, representing unionized workers at NOSM University. She told the gathering that her local is currently in talks to reach a new contract with the medical school, but added "I am here to tell you it is not going well".
"The university administration is attempting to remove rights that will push working conditions far below the standards in medical schools in Southern Ontario, and that would negatively impact the learning environment and conditions of current and future Northern Ontario medical students," said Besette.
Liana Holm, president of Rainbow board local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) told the crowd that Labour Day is a time to appreciate all that unions have achieved for the benefit of workers in Ontario. She said teachers are having a difficult time in bargaining with the Ontario government because the Conservatives would rather legislate than negotiate.
"But the main points that teachers want to hit home to our government right now and to all parents, all members in our communities is that we are fighting for more support for our special needs kids. We are fighting for smaller class sizes. We are fighting for mental health support in our schools, because violence is on the rise in our classrooms," said Holm.
"I'm going to invite you after next week, ask your kids if they've seen violence in their classrooms because it's become so normalized that for kids don't it doesn't even faze them anymore. And it's an absolute tragedy."
Greater Sudbury city councillor and deputy mayor Al Sizer also spoke to the gathering and brought a formal proclamation for the declaration of the first Monday in September as officially being Labour Day for the people of the municipality.
Sizer said he was pleased to bring a welcome on behalf of the mayor and council to the organized labour community.
"I do commend all the labour activists and unions and workers who stood up and continue to stand up for better workplaces and improved conditions. You have made a positive impact on a global scale, and you have much to be proud of. So I hope you all have a wonderful day," Sizer told the gathering.
