Sisters and Brothers,
March 18 is Transit Worker Appreciation Day.
Over the past year, ATU Local 113 members have seen it all as frontline workers working during a global pandemic. It’s been a tough year but the resilience, grit and commitment to Toronto you continue to show is an absolute inspiration. Our members work tirelessly and put themselves in harm’s way to keep our city moving.
Toronto has much to appreciate. Thank you.
Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113
On March 21st, ATU Local 113 will be joining the Toronto & York Region Labour Council and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations – UARR for an online forum to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We’re encouraging all members to register for the event at the link below.
“Let’s stand together to eliminate racism and discrimination” said ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos
Today’s edition of The Toronto Star features a full page dedicated to ATU Local 113’s new On Guard For You campaign. Check it out below.
Be sure to follow On Guard For You on social media and head to the website to learn more.
“The TTC’s One Person Train Operation idea is dangerous and should be subject to further study and public consultation” said ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos
210312-Toronto Star_printATU Local 113 remains dedicated to supporting gender equality and social justice in the workplace. To commemorate International Women’s Day this year, we encourage all members to join International Women’s Day Toronto for a virtual rally on Saturday March 6 at 1:00 p.m. While the way we meet this year may be different, our commitment to building a better future remains the same.
Click the link below to register for the virtual rally.
International Women’s Day Toronto 2021: Virtual Rally – March 6, 1:00 p.m.
Sisters and Brothers,
ATU Local 113 joins our colleagues in Canada’s labour movement in expressing solidarity with millions of agricultural workers in India protesting legislation that would put their livelihoods at risk. The new farm laws, which were enacted last year without any stakeholder engagement or debate, would expose individual farmers directly to the global food industry and international markets and take away the supports and tools for collective action that they have today.
By turning food staples into a financial commodity, these new laws risk driving India’s millions of small farms further into debt, poverty and insecurity while removing a secure source of food for the poor. About 70% of Indians rely on agriculture and the new laws are an unprecedented destabilization of the livelihood and food supply of hundreds of millions of people. The laws are being put forward by the anti-worker Modi government at the request of international corporate interests and the governments of wealthy, western nations.
Millions of farmers and their supporters have maintained protests for months, including ongoing blockades around Delhi. While the protests have been peaceful, the government’s response has not been. Protesters have been met with assault, arrest and detention. The movement has grown to other industries across India and to other countries around the world to become the largest workers’ movement in modern history.
Workers all over the world are being pushed into poverty and insecurity by business interests and the governments that support them. In India as in Canada, we are seeing the goods and services we rely on, like food, shelter or transportation, become commodities for financial speculation for profit. When this happens, prices go up and working people suffer. The only winners are the corporate interests who extract profit.
ATU Local 113 stands in solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters in India. We also stand with our members with family in India for whom this is personal. Your struggle is our struggle. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We call on all people, workers, government officials and leaders to join us and our ATU Brothers and Sisters to wholeheartedly condemn the actions of the Indian government.
In Solidarity,
Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113
ATU Local 113 wishes our members a fast and quick recovery and stands with those who are concerned about potential exposure to the coronavirus.
“The TTC should be sending all workers at any work location who may have been exposed to COVID-19 home to self-monitor for symptoms. It’s regrettable that our members only get 75% of pay when sick or forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 exposure. The TTC needs to do the right thing and provide 100% of pay to unionized employees who have endured so much by working through a global pandemic for nearly a year,” said ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos
City News: TTC employees raise alarm bells about COVID-19 protocols
ATU Local 113 needs your help with this important petition.
Change.org: Better Health Protection: Ontario Must Recognize Transmission of COVID-19 Through Aerosols
We’re calling on the Ontario government and Public Health Ontario to acknowledge the risk of COVID-19 transmission through aerosols. By signing this petition, you can urge the government to change its COVID-19 transmission guidelines and protect frontline workers by ensuring access to proper PPE and creating better ventilation for indoor spaces.
Together, let’s get the Ontario government to create healthier workplaces across Ontario! Please share this petition with your family, friends and co-workers.
Sisters and Brothers,
ATU Local 113 is proud of its work to launch the largest, most comprehensive Black History Month program in our union’s history that includes an anti-racism workshop series and giving members a platform to share heartfelt stories about their own experiences.
Our member stories included a poster that shared the experience of a union member who is the adopted daughter of a Black parent and the mother of a bi-racial child. The sole purpose of sharing this mother’s story was for members to learn about her experience being raised by a Black parent and raising a bi-racial child. We have learned that some members were offended by the inclusion of this poster in our Black History Month program.
To be clear, ATU Local 113 takes full responsibility for this poster. Due to her interracial family and her history of being an ally of the Black community, we encouraged the member to share her story, along with the stories of six other ATU Local 113 members who are Black. This member was even concerned that her inclusion would cause controversy. We’d like to apologize to the member and set the record straight. This member did nothing wrong and we take full responsibility for this poster.
ATU Local 113 would also like to apologize to all members who were offended by the poster. It was never our intention to offend anyone. While members of diverse backgrounds were involved in ATU Local 113’s Black History Month programming, we could have done a better job consulting our membership, including members who are Black. We apologize and we’ll learn from this.
Our union’s work on racial justice and combatting anti-Black racism will continue after February 28. We look forward to having our members, including members who are Black, help shape this important programming.
In Solidarity,
Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113