On National Indigenous Peoples Day, ATU Local 113 is celebrating the culture, traditions, history and languages of Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Today, we honor the many contributions Indigenous Canadians have made to this country. We would also thank our Indigenous members for their various contributions to our union and community.
We were horrified to hear today that a woman was set on fire at Kipling Station and has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Everyone at Local 113 wishes her a quick and complete recovery. We also thank the transit workers and riders who rushed to help her.
ATU Local 113 stands in solidarity with our brother, Brent Pelletier, and all members of the Indigenous community. Far too many Indigenous Canadians have a tragic story like Brent, where a member of their family was taken from them too soon. In the continued search for justice, we support Indigenous people through awareness initiatives such as Red Dress Day. We remember the murdered and missing Indigenous women who were never found, and we are an ally to the community in their time of grief.
Yesterday, Ontario voted. Premier Ford and his Progressive Conservatives (PCs) won 83 seats in the Legislature. They did not, however, win the majority of the vote. In fact, 60% of Ontarians voted NDP, Liberal, or Green – all of whom committed to funding public transit operations. For the next four years, ATU Local 113 will be holding the PCs accountable, and will continue to fight for the quality public transit that the majority of Ontarians want and deserve.
ATU Local 113 would also like to thank former NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath, for her dedicated service to the party. She has always been an ally for public transit and public transit workers. We wish her the best of luck in the next chapter of her career.
Today is election day in Ontario. The future of the TTC depends on the next elected government. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have failed to fund operating costs, removed our right to strike, and have made efforts to privatize public transit. Over the last four years the Ford government has cut over a billion dollars in operational funding and attempted to steal our subways.
We at ATU 113 are officially endorsing the NDP. No other party has the proven commitment to restoring operational funding, respecting workers’ rights, and building a public transit system that works for everyone.
Please vote NDP today. Vote to support public transit workers.
The racially-motivated shooting in Buffalo on Saturday filled us all with horror and sadness. The loss of life in senseless violence is always a tragedy, but the murder of innocent people who were targeted because of their identity is especially painful.
We feel this anger and grief every time we hear about an attack on Black and other racialized groups, or religious, ethnic, LGBTQ2S+ or other minority groups who have been targeted. Each time we want to believe it is the last one, but it isn’t. Every attack is motivated by a belief system that values some lives over others, and they will not end unless we change those beliefs.
It reminds us that we need to keep working every day, in our communities, our workplaces and in our shared institutions to root out this ideology of hate. Within our union family we need to continue to learn and educate each other, and to have difficult but necessary conversations about the beliefs systems that make racist violence possible. By challenging our own assumptions and biases, we can fight injustice in the world around us more effectively.
With such a diverse membership, there will be times when we don’t always understand the decisions made by our fellow brothers and sisters. It is important to support them rather than to judge them.
For day four of Mental Health Week, ATU Local 113 recognizes that we may not always see the world as others do, but we must always listen to their view with an open heart and mind.
ATU Local 113 recognizes the National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women & Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+.
Also known as Red Dress Day, May 5 is a day to commemorate, honour and raise awareness about this national tragedy and to reflect on what each of us can do to help stop this tragedy.
Practicing mental wellness is considering that someone may be experiencing difficulties in their life that you know nothing about. During Mental Health Week, ATU Local 113 encourages its members to always show compassion and kindness towards each other.
