NWDLC Day of Mourning on April 29, 2021
Circulated on behalf of NWDLC
Dear Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
It has been more than a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted every part of our lives and our work. From workers on the frontline of the pandemic, new protocols including masks and sanitizers in the workplace, to the stress of job loss, mental health impacts and isolation, and the rise in domestic and intimate partner violence this has been a year like no other for health and safety.
Since 1984, when the Canadian Labour Congress initiated April 28th as the Day of Mourning, we have gathered each year to remember those killed or seriously injured in the workplace and to re-dedicate ourselves to making workplaces safer. Each year we highlight a specific workplace health and safety issue or theme and share the work being done by the labour movement to make workplaces safer, fairer and healthier for all workers. This year as we mark the second Day of Mourning to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic we will take time to remember every work killed or injured by COVID-19 in the workplace and every worker and family impacted by the pandemic both at work and at home.
This Day of Mourning coincides with the New Westminster & District Labour Council regular meeting date and we will use this opportunity to gather virtually and in solidarity. ln lieu of our regular guest speaker the Executive Board, delegates, local leaders, union members and guests will take the first 20 minutes of our regular meeting in a short virtual ceremony to mark the Day of Mourning. We invite you and your members to join us to mark the Day of Mourning on Wednesday April 28,2021at 7:00pm.
Registration for the ceremony can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckdeGgqjwiEtdxYjZanx4gNInnukbHAnz1
Participants are welcome to stay for our regular meeting or to leave after the ceremony concludes.
Wishing you, your members and their families health, safety and peace in these challenging times.
ln Solidarity,
Janet Andrews
Secretary-Treasurer
New Westminster and District Labour Council
Panel: Unequal Women in BC and the Path to Recovery
— Circulated on behalf of Unite Here! Local 40 —
PANEL: Unequal Women in BC and the Path to Recovery
When: April 1, 6:00-7:30 PM PST
Where: Zoom Webinar
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WxUN1rz9SWmDalzST9J8Mg
International Women’s Day may have passed, but the struggle for gender equality hasn’t. 2020 saw a steep rise in layoffs and firings of women across British Columbia as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the systemic inequities facing women and people of colour. Women in BC’s hotel industry were hit especially hard, with almost 95% of the workforce being laid off. As we chart the path to recovery in 2021, how can we ensure that women return to their pre-pandemic jobs and livelihoods? For industries where women of colour make up the majority, such as tourism and hospitality, what is our role as activists and community members to support laid-off and fired workers?
Join us for an exciting panel on these questions and more! UNITE HERE Local 40 will be facilitating a discussion around the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on working women, particularly racialized women in the hotel industry. We will also discuss what a more just and equitable future would look like for women.
Vancouver and District Labour Council
http://www.vdlc.ca/
Sign and Share the Petition to Support ILSC Teachers
Circulated on behalf of FPSE
On March 17,2020, most of members of ETEA – 1 (Teachers at ILSC) received lay off notices. This was expected as it was the beginning of the pandemic.
Normally, their recall rights are for one year. This, under normal conditions, is plenty of time. In the current situation, this means that many of the teachers are going to be terminated permanently….40% by July, and nearly 90% by the end of October.
We have been running a campaign to pressure ILSC to extend our recall rights until the end of the pandemic. They have extended their Toronto location’s recall rights to 24 months and every other unionized school in Vancouver has had their rights extended until the end of the pandemic.
We have filed a section 54 complaint with the LRB and are hopeful to sit down for mediation before the end of March.
Could you please help us by circulating our message and the petition below? We could really use your support.
Please sign and share the petition: http://chng.it/G5pdq9ZQ
You can also share the Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=833728640513648&id=405768606642989
Day of Action in Solidarity with IBEW Local 213 Members ON STRIKE!
Recirculated by VDLC
IBEW Local 213 members employed at Ledcor LTS have been on strike for a fair first collective agreement since September 30, 2019.
On March 19 the Vancouver and District Labour Council and New Westminster and District Labour Council will join with IBEW Local 213 in a day of action in solidarity with these workers who continue to stand firm for fairness.
Please join us by participating in one or more of these opportunities to express your support:
- A small delegation will attend the picket line at 1055 West Hastings St. Vancouver (Ledcor offices) at 10:30AM for a physically distanced rally with picketers. Mask wearing is required. Speakers to be announced shortly.
- Drive by and honk for fairness, between 10:30am and 12:00pm.
- Send a letter of support. A link to a letter writing campaign will be posted on our website and on the Facebook event shortly.
- Take a photo of yourself holding IBEW 213’s #ShameOnLEDCOR sign
(http://www.ibew213.org/…/Shame%20on%20Ledcor…) and use the hashtags #Solidarity #UnionStrong #IBEW213 #IBEW #FairContractNow #TELUS #ShameOnLEDCOR
Thank you for taking a stand for fairness!
In solidarity,
Stephen von Sychowski
President, VDLC
Vancouver and District Labour Council
http://www.vdlc.ca/
New Westminster & Labour Council: News and Upcoming Events
Re-circulated by the New Westminster & District Labour Council
Happy International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021! We’ll have an exciting announcement next week about our new political leadership venture!
****Second call for 2021 Day of Mourning volunteers to make a Zoom presentation to one of our City Councils and/or School Districts. The Presentation will be prepared and meeting arrangements made for you. Please contact Cheryl at the office if you can present on behalf of the labour council.
Shared on behalf of the Hospital Employees Union
At the February 24th regular meeting of the New Westminster & District Labour Council delegates passed the following motion:
“MSC the New Westminster & District Labour Council endorse the HEU Make it Public campaign and encourage affiliates and members to also support the campaign and write to their MLAs at www.MakeItPublic.ca”
The HEU campaign is seeking support for their Long Term Care campaign which would bring work that was previously outsourced to private contractors back in house, and asking delegates and members to write to their MLA using the tools on the Make It Public website. There is a also a short video you can share: https://www.facebook.com/203485052997041/videos/1191415911256452
Shared on behalf of Surrey Teachers Association
Surrey Teachers Ask for Mask Wearing in Classrooms
Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-0tO650aTR7f-XOVjN-HUQ
Shared on behalf of Take Back Delta Hospice Campaign
The Take Back Delta Hospice Campaign is still seeking members who can pay the $10.00 membership fee and are willing to attend a future AGM and vote to reverse the changes made when the Board was taken over and the direction, care options and workplace were changed last year.
For $10 you can join the fight here: https://takebackdeltahospice.ca/
Shared on behalf of Rent Strike Bargain
Rent Strike Bargain Campaign is gearing up to fight for tenants’ rights and are looking to pattern their organizing and efforts on the labour movement to build collective bargaining power for tenants against big increases and predatory practices of landlords. More information on the campaign can be found on the website here: www.rentstrikebargain.com.
At our February meeting the NWDLC delegates voted in favour of sharing the campaign’s survey and message:
That survey can be found here!
“Our campaign’s goal is to connect with & organize union workers & renters to build a stronger movement together, and the first step in that process for us is identifying them. Feel free to take a look through the questions we have in it & to let us know if you have any questions about them!”
Shared on behalf of Peter Julian, MP New Westminster-Burnaby
I am inviting you to join me at the Disability Tax Credit Workshop via Facebook Live & Zoom on Saturday, March 6 from 1-2 PM PST. Sign language interpretation will be available.
I have done over 600 Disability Tax Credit town halls across Canada to help people get the Disability Tax Credit and know how dysfunctional and complicated the federal system is for persons living with disabilities. Please join me to learn how to access it. If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to my office via email peter.julian.c1@parl.gc.ca or call my office at 604-775-5707.
Shared on behalf of $10aday.ca
Shared on behalf of the United Way of the Lower Mainland
United Way’s Period Promise Collection Drive runs May 6th-June 3rd
If you’ve been helping out with United Way’s Period Promise campaign for a few years now you know it usually runs in March. However, given the current state of COVID-19, we’re running the campaign a few months later this year. On the plus side, this will line up our campaign with World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28th!
Here are a few things that you can look forward to with this year’s campaign
- Easier ways to donate financially or with physical product in your community, where you work, or within your networks
- New ways to highlight your commitment to the cause or get involved as a leader in the local effort
- Virtual engagement opportunities with local activists and leaders working to address the issue of period poverty and menstrual equity in British Columbia sharing key insights and strategies
- Information sharing highlighting the results of the Period Promise Research Project and the work being done by partners on the Period Promise Community Action Group!
Recirculated on behalf of Don Davies, MP Vancouver-Kingsway, Townhall on Anti-Asian racism
Don will be hosting a live townhall next week, Tuesday, March 9 at 5pm PST on Facebook.
“Anti-Asian racism has been a long-standing issue in our community. However, COVID-19 has deepened this scourge, with anti-Asian hate crimes multiplying in BC and across Canada.
Join us for a discussion on how this has affected our community, how we can fight against it, and how we can create a more equitable and inclusive society for all. With special guests Jagmeet Singh, Sarah Kim, and Alden E. Habacon, we will have a dynamic discussion from people who know this issue first-hand. Look forward to seeing you on March 9!”
Here are the event pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/454006249375042
Website: https://www.dondavies.ca/anti_racism_townhall
105-3920 Norland Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5G 4K7
Phone: 604-291-9306
www.nwdlc.ca
Facebook: nwdlc Twitter: @nwdlc
The NWDLC acknowledges that our office is located on the traditional and unceded territory of Coast Salish peoples
Car Caravan in Downtown Vancouver to Support BC’s Unequal Women on International Women’s Day
Circulated on behalf of VDLC. Please check https://www.facebook.com/events/456159702249494 for updates on this event.
Save the Date! Car Caravan in downtown Vancouver to support BC’s Unequal Women on International Women’s Day
Meet BC’s unequal women. They’ve cleaned rooms, cooked meals, and served tourists across BC for decades. But now they’re being treated like they’re disposable.
Hotels are refusing to recall their long-term workers when the hospitality industry recovers. Instead, mass firings are being used to strip away gains made by women who are the backbone of this industry and set them back to an earlier era. Hyatt is on the verge of permanently laying off more than 300 workers – that’s more workers than any other individual hotel has threatened to terminate across BC.
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, join hospitality workers for a car caravan in downtown Vancouver in support of BC’s unequal women.
If you don’t have a car, come walk with us on foot or watch live on Facebook. Companies should not use the pandemic as a way to replace us. We will keep the pressure up so they do the right thing. We can’t afford to lose everything we’ve worked so hard for!
When: Monday, March 8th, 12:00 to 1:00pm
Where: Hyatt Regency Vancouver
RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/456159702249494
More details about the car caravan route to be announced!
If you aren’t able to come out, join us on Facebook Live at facebook.com/unitehere40!
We will ensure this action will be SAFE and that everyone who attends must follow social distancing protocol. If you have gloves and masks at home, please wear them! Signs, masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be available to anyone who needs them.
In solidarity,
UNITE HERE Local 40
Vancouver and District Labour Council
http://www.vdlc.ca/
International Women’s Day 2021: She-Cession
Recirculated on behalf of VDLC
The Vancouver District Labour Council Women’s Committee invites you to our annual International Women’s Day event on Monday March 8th, starting at 6:00pm. This year’s event is free to attend and focuses on the “She-cession”.
Vancouver and District Labour Council
http://www.vdlc.ca/
VDLC: Workers Need Paid Sick Days
Recirculated on behalf of VDLC
The VDLC supports the call for a minimum of ten (10) permanent, paid sick days for all workers and additional days during public health emergencies.
A motion adopted at the February regular meeting of the Labour Council outlines the need for paid sick days for all workers, and looks at how this can be best implemented.
You can help by supporting paid sick leave campaigns (see below), and by supporting the motion “Closing the Inequality Gap With Paid Sick Leave” submitted to Vancouver City Council by Jean Swanson. The motion comes to City Council next week, and you can sign up to speak or submit written comments.
Resources:
BC Federation of Labour paid sick days campaign
Worker Solidarity Network/BC Employment Standards Coalition paid sick days campaign
Decent Work and Health Network – report
VDLC motion: Subject: Paid Sick Days
BECAUSE eleven months into a global pandemic that has killed thousands, no government in Canada has legislated adequate, employer-paid sick days; and
BECAUSE the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is temporary, inaccessible and not of use for the crucial first few days of an illness; and
BECAUSE had paid sick day legislation been in place before the global pandemic, lives would have been saved because infection rates would have been reduced; and
BECAUSE the lack of legislated paid sick days has especially hurt Black, Indigenous, workers of colour and women workers who are over-represented in frontline jobs, with low pay, few benefits, and without the ability to work from home,
THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL support the call for a minimum of ten (10) permanent, paid sick days for all workers and additional days during public health outbreaks; and
THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER endorse the following principles. Paid sick leave should be:
- Universal: Available to all workers regardless of workplace size, work status or FTE, type of work, or immigration status. Legislated, with no exemptions.
- Paid: Fully paid to ensure workers are not financially penalized for following public health advice.
- Adequate: At least ten (10) paid sick days provided on a permanent basis, with additional paid sick days as required during public health emergencies.
- Permanent: Available during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
- Accessible: No barriers to access. Prohibit employers from requiring sick notes; ensure no disruption of income or unnecessary applications; and provide sufficiently flexible leave that reflects the reality of workers’ lives, healthcare needs, and caregiving responsibilities; and
THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER oppose further public subsidies for corporations like Amazon, Walmart, and Loblaws that are profiting from the pandemic and who should be implementing employer-paid sick days and raising wages; and
THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER lobby provincial and federal government representatives to introduce and pass paid sick days legislation; and
THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FINALLY encourage members to be involved in the campaign for paid sick days.
Thank you,
Vancouver and District Labour Council
http://www.vdlc.ca/
Canadian Association of University Teachers: Bulletin
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) publishes Bulletin every month. These used to be available in paper copy in every faculty workstation on campus. Please click this link to find current and past issues of Bulletin: https://www.caut.ca/bulletin
CAUT Bulletin February 2021
Vol 68, No 2
The February 2021 issue of the Bulletin is now available online. Click here to access the entire issue or on the links below to read or share individual articles.
COVER STORY
Duty to accommodate
Are universities and colleges doing enough to accommodate academic staff with disabilities?
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Disability and the (online) academy
What it means to have a disability within post-secondary institutions in the era of COVID-19.
BY THE NUMBERS
Academic Staff with Disabilities
INTERVIEW
Catherine Nolin & Grahame Russell
Catherine Nolin and Grahame Russell tell CAUT about their book on Canadian mining in Guatemala and why it was cancelled.
BOOK REVIEW
Being at Large — Freedom in the age of alternative facts
Charles Reeves, associate professor at OCAD University, reviews Santiago Zabala’s new book “Being at Large — Freedom in the age of alternative facts”.
COMMENTARY
Unionization, academic freedom, & sessional contract faculty
Do sessional contract faculty enjoy academic freedom?
Copyright limits and learning: lessons from the COVID-19 quarantine
When teachers and students moved to virtual classrooms, the limitations of copyright law reared its head.
NEWS
Education for All campaign launches
CAUT signs the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment
Pensions — hot topic in new contract deals won at Simon Fraser and Dalhousie
Collegial governance at stake at the University of Alberta
FROM THE ARCHIVES
April 2003 – Most Canadians say high fees block access
A 2003 poll showed more than 7 in 10 Canadians worried about the rising cost of tuition.
OBITUARY
Robert S. (Bob) Rodger 1926–2021
“Bob’s contribution to academia continued for almost five decades. We have lost a good friend, colleague, founding figure and past president of the Dalhousie Faculty Association.” – Dave Westwood, DFA President
NWDLC Black History Month Community Conversation
NWDLC Black History Month Community Conversation event February 17th
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudO-rpjMtHtY5YKo5AgdiTmnZvbOmiKM0
