Author: Erika Mackenzie

ATU Local 113 President Joins The Children’s Breakfast Clubs in Our Nation’s Capital

by Erika Mackenzie

ATU Local 113 President, Marvin Alfred, has joined The Children’s Breakfast Clubs delegation on their trip to our nation’s capital to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Children’s Breakfast Clubs actively encourages children from all backgrounds to draw strength and motivation from the triumphs of great Canadians throughout history. We are incredibly proud to support this meaningful work.

ATU Canada Equity and Inclusion Committee Meeting

by Erika Mackenzie

ATU Canada Equity and Inclusion Committee will be hosting a meeting on February 16, 2023 and are inviting all ATU Members to join the meeting – see the registration link below. All meeting dates for 2023 are also listed on the attached poster.

Zoom registration

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Feb 16, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkdemhqzojHNx-Chh1cYG1qT-9RcNJfabu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

TTC Service cuts: Riders deserve to know, Council has a responsibility

by Erika Mackenzie

Local 113 is calling on City Council to demand information necessary to make informed decisions on system-wide service cuts.

On February 15, City Council will be considering a budget proposal to make deep cuts to public transit. We know from the TTC that it includes a 9% cut system-wide and a 25% cut to rapid transit service compared to pre-pandemic levels. Combined with a fare increase, these cuts are a threat to the long- term viability of our transit system. A recent open letter from more than 100 transit and urban researchers noted that these “cuts to service are likely to initiate a ridership death spiral in which long wait time and poorer service leads to ridership drops, which in turn lead to further revenue losses and cuts.”

At its January 9 meeting, the TTC Board was asked to make the details of the cuts public. They have not done so. Riders deserve to know if their route is being cut and City Council has a responsibility to know the impact of their decisions.

ATU Local 113 is calling on Toronto City Council to demand that the proposed service cuts be made public before they consider the budget.

Ongoing Litigation

by Erika Mackenzie

Yesterday Local 113 took its fight for the right to strike to the Ontario Superior Court. Our legal team, led by Ian Fellows,  presented our case to the court.  The right to strike is historic and guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  This is the latest chapter in our ongoing campaign for the restoration of this basic human right. The Committee for Freedom of Association, a body of the International Labour Organization, has already twice ruled in favour of Local 113 finding the Province’s strike ban law is contrary to Canada’s international commitments. Those decisions were presented to his honour, Justice Chalmers who is the judge hearing our case. The hearing will continue today with arguments from the Province’s lawyers and reply by our legal team.  It is expected that a written decision will be issued at a later date after the court has had time to review the legal arguments and over 10,000 pages of evidence presented in this case.