Your ATU Local 113 Executive Board, shop stewards, members and their families are all in to elect the NDP on June 7th – that’s why we were out in force at their Toronto rally this weekend. See photos below. Our Sisters and Brothers can count on Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP to support transit workers, to expand transit development and to keep transit as a public good.
See our official endorsement here. See who signed the Keep Transit Public pledge here.
On National Day of Mourning on April 28th, ATU Local 113 pays respects, remembers and honours those who have been killed, injured or suffered illness as a result of work-related incidents. We also stand united and renew our commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace.
With the help of ATU Local 113 Sisters and Brothers, we created a video to highlight what is at stake everyday: family. Watch it below.
In Recognition of National Day of Mourning
This Saturday, April 28th is the National Day of Mourning. ATU Local 113 will always be united in remembrance, united in sorrow and most of all, united together for a healthier and safer workplace. Please share this video and read our renewed committment: https://wemovetoronto.ca/atu-local-113-united-together-for-a-healthier-and-safer-workplace/
Posted by ATU Local 113 on Friday, April 27, 2018
You can learn more about our renewed commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace: here.
It’s no laughing matter — violence is a sad reality for workers. Last week, ATU Local 113 found a disgusting online “music” video that threatens violence against members. We took immediate action to shut down this video: we reported the video with YouTube for removal and demanded the TTC take immediate action to look into how such a vile video was filmed on TTC property.
Your safety is important and ATU Local 113 will always speak out against those who glorify violence against workers – wherever and whenever it happens. This is a serious concern for public transit workers who receive verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis. We must work together to end violence against workers – and this begins with standing together against videos that normalize these behaviours.
Your Executive Board will closely monitor this situation until it is resolved.
In solidarity.
We’ve seen it before in our cities, our provinces, and across the country. When conservatives gain power all they do is cut, cut, and cut – hurting our most vulnerable. It is leaders like Rob Ford, Mike Harris and Stephen Harper who have left our schools, hospitals, infrastructure, transit and all our public services gutted. This can’t happen again.
See how the conservative legacy is cuts below.
With so much at stake this election, it is important to vote to Keep Transit Public. See which candidates took the pledge here.
Election Day is just around the corner, but you don’t need to wait until June 7 to vote. In person advance voting began last Saturday, and will continue until 6 PM on June 6. To find out where you can vote and make your voice heard, click here.
Recently, Marvin Alfred (an Executive Board Member of ATU Local 113) and his wife Lea Alfred caught up with Faisal Hassan – NDP Candidate for York South Weston, who has shown support by signing the Keep Transit Public pledge back in April and is continuing to spread the message.
Today, we achieved an ultimate win when Toronto City Council adopted a motion to Keep Transit Public. To every single individual who contributed to making the Keep Transit Public campaign successful, thank you. While we achieved a milestone success today, our work continues to ensure transit remains in public hands.
A special thank you to Councillors Joe Mihevc, Mike Layton, and Frances Nunziata for their leadership in keeping Toronto’s transit in Toronto’s hands.
Pictured below are your Sisters and Brothers at Toronto City Hall, who showed up to watch councillors adopt the motion to Keep Transit Public!
The Keep Transit Public campaign gained momentum with a big win at Toronto City Council.
The campaign, supported by ATU Local 113, ATU Canada, and ATU International–was successful in having Toronto City Council pass a motion today that ensures transit in the municipality remains public and continues to be operated and maintained by the Toronto Transit Commission.
The motion, tabled by Councillor Joe Mihevc and seconded by Councillor Mike Layton, recommends that:
“After years of creeping privatization by the province and Metrolinx, Toronto City Council said no to privatization and yes to keeping transit public,” said John Di Nino, Executive Board Member of ATU Local 113 and lead of the Keep Transit Public campaign. “We call on Metrolinx to act on the direction of Toronto’s elected representatives who want all transit operations and maintenance to remain in public hands.”
A special thank you to Councillor Joe Mihevc and Councillor Mike Layton for their leadership in keeping Toronto’s transit in Toronto’s hands.
This adopted motion by Toronto City Council, which passed 30-6, is especially important with the upcoming Ontario provincial election on June 7.
“The Ontario Liberals and Ontario PC’s both prefer to line the pockets of big, multinational companies through privatization instead of investing more money into public transit,” said John Di Nino. “Through our work with the Keep Transit Public campaign, we are happy to see Toronto City Council taking a strong stand against Metrolinx’s privatization scheme that will only cost taxpayers more money while reducing service.”
Toronto city councillors who support keeping transit public:
Toronto city councillors who oppose keeping transit public:
Toronto city councillors not present for vote:
At the office of NDP candidate Gurratan Singh for Brampton East, our very own ATU Local 113 Board Members Marvin Alfred and Anthony Wallace mobilizes support to Keep Transit Public. Also pictured are Arrow Road members Kiran Sidhu, Sunil Batta, Ravin Walia, Ranjit Sandhu (Retiree), Sukhi Sanga, Kamaljit Kaur, Harmesh Singh, and Jashan Bhullar.
Gurratan Singh joins many other NDP candidates who have signed the pledge to Keep Transit Public. See the full list of supporters here.
There is a lot at stake with the Ontario election: The Liberals and Ontario PC’s appear to favour contracting out and privatization, which threatens our job security and the transit system we have been proud to operate and maintain for 119 years. ATU Local 113 is clear: privatizing our public goods means profit for private companies on the backs of taxpayers while projects take longer to complete, cost more and deliver less for the public.
In support of the Keep Transit Public campaign, our Sisters and Brothers have gone riding-by-riding asking candidates to sign a pledge to Keep Transit Public should they be elected to office.
The pledge asks candidates of all parties to commit to:
You can find the most updated list of candidates who signed the pledge below. There is too much at stake this election to wait and see. Make sure to vote for public transit on June 7. Find out where you vote here.
After almost a month of stalling, the TTC confirmed that it forced our Sisters and Brothers to consume animal products despite religious and/or ethical objections. It is now time for the TTC to understand the seriousness of this issue – one created by the Commission alone – by acting forthright about what accommodation will look like and how they’ll address the thousands who have already taken the test.
ATU Local 113 asks the TTC a simple request as part of their efforts to right their wrong: advise our members that those who self-identify as requiring accommodation will not be required to consume animal products and that they will not be removed from their work, suspended, sent home or reprised against in any manner what-so-ever.
It is time the TTC takes responsibility and provide Toronto’s 11,000 transit workers an answer by the end of the day.
Click here to read our response to the TTC below.