Show off your research skills in our Local 79 History Quiz and you’ll get a chance to win an iPod Touch!

Just answer the questions below and you’ll have a chance to win! (Hint: Most answers to these questions can be found somewhere on this website. Use the search function in the upper right corner to speed things up.)

Contest rules

• Participants must be a member of Local 79.
• All answers to the quiz must be correct to be eligible for a chance to win.
• Entries must be submitted, in person, at the June membership meeting (no mail/fax-ins). Correct entries will be submitted into a draw box, and three winners will be drawn.

Questions

1. Who was Local 79’s first President?

2. When was Local 79′s Charter issued?

3. In what year was Local 79 legislated back to work?

4. What event in Toronto’s history resulted in CUPE Local 79’s membership doubling?

5. Name three former Local 79 Presidents.

6. When did Local 79 first participate in the Pride parade?

7. Who was Local 79’s first female President?

8. In a 1985 “Letter to the Editor”, Local 79 President Steven David wrote a scathing rebuke of the Globe’s editorial that claimed pay equity was not a serious problem. What was the title of his letter?

9. On what date did Local 79 send out its first “Tweet” with its @cupelocal79 Twitter account?

10. What was the front-page headline of the December 1976 edition of the Local 79 publication News and Views? (Answer available only at Local 79’s June membership meeting)

Click here to download our entry form.

May 17th is symbolic due to its significance in improving the status of gays and lesbians. It is the anniversary of the date on which the World Health Organization (WHO) put an end to over a century of homophobia in the medical field, by removing homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. The Declaration of Montréal (July 29, 2006), borne out of the International Conference on LGBT Rights that preceded the first World Outgames, recommended the worldwide recognition of an International Day Against Homophobia on May 17th of each year.

This special day, which is dedicated to fighting against homophobia in our communities, was initiated by Fondation Emergence and its partners to combat the prejudices and negative attitudes that some Canadians still have towards homosexuals. The Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition, the Department of Justice (Canada), and Heritage Canada are among the many sponsors of National Day against Homophobia.

Local 79 recognizes that discrimination, in any form, focuses on characteristics that make us different. This reduces our capacity to work together to achieve decent wages, safe working conditions and justice in the workplace.

While we cannot fix the problem of homophobia in our country overnight, Local 79 realizes that taking a day to acknowledge and raise awareness about the discrimination faced by gay, lesbian, transgender and transsexual Canadians, will in time have significant impact on attitudes and treatments towards all peoples.

Local 79 is proud to be included with the many labour groups and community organizations across the country that recognize and support this important day. Since May 2006, when the Mayor responded to a request from Local 79 to proclaim May 17th as National Day against Homophobia in Toronto, this important date has been included every year in the Mayor’s proclamations. The current Mayor has proclaimed May 17th 2012, as “Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Toronto”.

Workplace Mental Health

This week is Mental Health Awareness week across Canada, and the May 8^th release of Canada’s first national mental health strategy, “Changing Directions, Changing Lives”, ushers in a new role for employers, employees and unions in the workplace.  One of the strategic directions is to create mentally healthy workplaces and implement the Psychological Health & Safety Standard in private and public workplaces.  (Mental Health Commission of Canada www.mentalhealthcommission.ca)

Workplace awareness of this crucial issue has been heightened in recent months, in part because of high profile individuals speaking out about their own personal experiences.  This awareness presents us with an opportunity to find solutions.

While mental health has been an ongoing issue there is now an urgency to do more.  We must have an open dialogue and clear policies in place to remove the stigma of mental health issues and remove the barriers to understanding, integration and communication.

People need guidance, training and encouragement.  People struggling with mental illness need support and inclusion.  Local 79 would like to meet to discuss the City of Toronto’s policies and commitment to action on the issue of workplace mental health.

Workplace mental health is an issue that affects every family.  We need to support a practical understanding of mental health in the workplace, and managers need training and guidance on how to confront the stigma associated with workplace mental health.  At-risk employees need to be supported and assisted at work during recovery.

Tim Maguire

President

IF YOU REGISTER BEFORE MAY 18TH, WE’LL COVER THE COST OF REGISTRATION!*

 

We’ll be relaying for life in two different locations, at two different dates. Click on the date/location that works best for you!

• Relay For Life in Etobicoke Centennial Stadium, Toronto, Ontario
  (Friday, June 8th 2012 – 7 pm to 7 am)
• Relay For Life in Scarborough  Birchmount Stadium, Scarborough
  (Friday, June 22nd 2012 – 7 pm to 7 am)

Can’t make it to the race but want to support us?  Click to support the Etobicoke team or click to support the Scarborough team with a donation.
See a team member below from your division and want to donate to them? Click on their picture below for their story and for a donate button.

Note: Participants are expected to raise a minimum of $100. Food, drinks and a t-shirt are included in the price of registration. If you get a chance, come by the Local 79 union office so we can take your picture and put it up on the website to encourage donations!

 *Bring your receipt on the day of the event and we’ll reimburse your $20 registration fee

RE: BU 25.3 Operating Variance Report

Dear Councillor Del Grande and Members of the Budget Committee:

Today, as you consider how to allocate the City’s $292 million surplus, I ask that you consider the adage: you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.

As front-line City employees, we of course know intimately where the City’s been. And as a Social Services caseworker and through my work at CUPE Local 79, I’ve closely followed news of Toronto’s drastic demographic shift in poverty.

According to a study by the United Way, high-poverty neighbourhoods in the GTA were almost equally dispersed between Toronto and its neighbouring boroughs in 1981. But by 2001, that percentage shifted to 77% for the former cities of Etobicoke, York, East York, North York and Scarborough.

As a result of this shift, the City reallocated services to so-called priority neighbourhoods, mostly in these former cities, and set out to engage the demographic that holds the key to the City’s future: Youth.

As part of that focus, the City held a Youth Rally in 2001. Councillors Lindsay Luby and Peter Milczyn were there to participate in an information session.

Said Councillor Milczyn at the time: “We should provide youth with the tools they need to become healthy and aware adults. The youth-based counselling and recreational programs developed by the City are an investment that will improve the lives of Torontonians for years to come.”

According to the City’s own press release, the event was organized to reflect the objectives of the Youth Outreach Workers program. At the time, an initiative of Toronto Parks and Recreation to provide outreach at TTC stations, offering information and referral services regarding recreation, employment and counseling at identified TTC stations.

While the Youth Outreach Workers program saw many successes in its first few years, it became obvious during Toronto’s devastating ‘summer of the gun’ in 2005 that the City needed to boost its efforts. And it did, through among other things, hiring twenty-one more Youth Outreach Workers for various parts of the City.

A Youth Outreach Worker is interviewed by the CBC about the City slashing the YOW program.

After hearing so many inspirational stories about the work that these Youth Outreach Workers perform in their communities — some of which you’ll hear today from other deputants — it came as a shock to many that the City would decide this year to delete 17 Youth Outreach Worker positions, severely undermining the program.

Dr. Debra Pepler, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University — who undertook a study on Youth Outreach programs in Toronto — wrote to us after hearing of the deletions, saying: “It seems to me that our country and city are pulling away from the critical supports for children and youth.” And it seems like others on City Council agree.

In January, City Council decided to re-evaluate cuts to the Youth Outreach Program as part of the Recreation Service Review, which was originally slated to go to Community Development and Recreation Committee before these cuts were enacted. This review is now not anticipated until sometime this fall, yet this support for youth in several of Toronto’s communities is slated to disappear May 29th.

You now have the opportunity, with the City’s increased surplus, to provide bridge funding for these positions through the fall and support Council’s intention of giving the future of this program the thorough review it deserves as part of the overall planning for recreational services.

It’s a smart investment. Through the recreational service plan we can find ways to make this program even more effective and meaningful for the youth it is designed to support. And we all know that supporting youth, helping them succeed, pays dividends to the City’s future.

The youth and their families who’ve been helped by this program are sorely disappointed at prospect of losing these Youth Outreach Workers. Please don’t abandon them, or the dedication that these workers have showed over the years.

Your truly,

Tim Maguire
President, CUPE Local 79

 _____________________________________________

At the May 7th, 2012 Budget Committee meeting, Local 79 organized Youth Outreach Workers, youth who’ve been supported by YOWs, and YOW supporters — to tell the Committee what the City stands to lose.  Click here to read a press release about the event.

“The decision to eliminate the majority of these Youth Outreach Workers positions was made when the City thought it had less money, but now the 2011 surplus has ballooned to $292 million,” stated Tim Maguire, President of Local 79 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the workers. “We hope Council uses this opportunity to reconsider how much these workers do to help youth in our city succeed.”

In January, as part of its budget deliberations, City Council moved to re-examine cuts to the Youth Outreach Workers Program through the Recreation Service Review, and increase funding requirements if necessary to maintain critical supports for youth. The review was originally slated to go to Community Development and Recreation Committee before the program cut was enacted. The review is now not anticipated until sometime this fall, yet the deletion of over half of the workers in the program is happening within the next few weeks.

“The youth and their families who’ve been helped by this program are sorely disappointed at the prospect of losing these Youth Outreach Workers,” said Maguire. “We are just asking that the City provide bridge funding for these positions through the fall and support Council’s intention of giving the future of this program the thorough review it deserves as part of the overall planning for recreational services.”

Youth Outreach Workers, clients and others will be deputing today at the City of Toronto Budget Committee, which begins at 9:30 a.m., in Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall.

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For more information, contact Katrina Miller – 647-272-5024

This is a worthy acknowledgement of the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. Canada’s, and Toronto’s, rich cultural diversity strengthens the country, and our city, in so many ways.

Local 79 members reflect the diversity of our city, and the programmes and services that our members deliver bring them in daily contact with the many diverse communities that make Toronto so unique.

Although the federal government did not officially signed a declaration until May 2002, cities across Canada, including Toronto, Halifax, Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, have been holding annual festivities during the month of May to recognize Asian Heritage Month since its inaugural celebration in Toronto in 1993.

Over the last two centuries, immigrants have journeyed to Canada from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western and Southwest Asia bringing our society a rich cultural heritage representing many languages, ethnicities and religious traditions. Women and men from these communities have contributed to every aspect of Canadian life – from the arts and science to sports, business and government. However, it is unfortunate that the history of Asian Canadians has too frequently been marred by exploitation and lack of access to basic human rights, such as the exploitation of Chinese railway workers and the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Today, the Conservative government’s temporary foreign worker Program plays a central role in the ongoing exploitation of Asian workers and the denial of human rights, particularly in the treatment of women in the live-in caregiver programme. Local 79 stands in solidarity with Asian workers and proudly celebrates Asian Heritage Month.

Renowned Canadians of Asian Heritage include:

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., who became Governor General of Canada in 1999, was the first Chinese Canadian and second woman to hold the position.
The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, QC who became the thirty-third Premier of British Columbia in 2000, was Canada’s first Indo-Canadian provincial leader.
Ratna Ghosh, who is a celebrated educator and administrator, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1999, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000.
Joy Kogawa, who published her first novel, Obasan in 1982. This narrative was considered an important work as part of the movement to redress the wrongs against Japanese Canadians.
Lim Kwong Yew, aka Normie Kwong the China Clipper, who was the first Chinese Canadian to play in the CFL. He became the youngest player to win a Grey Cup and was named to the Order of Canada in 1998.
Jean Lumb, who in 1972, became the first Chinese Canadian woman to receive the Order of Canada. In 1995, she became a citizenship judge, swearing in new Canadian citizens.
Deepa Mehta, whose films probe at the cultural taboos and political tensions of her native India, has been nominated for many international film awards. Her film Water was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, making it Canada’s first non-French-language film to receive a nomination in that category. Mehta divides her time between Toronto and India.
Rohinton Mistry, whose novels about family and community amid the crushing poverty of his native India have earned comparisons with Charles Dickens. Mistry emigrated to Canada in 1975, settling in Toronto.
Michael Ondaatje, who is one of Canada’s most accomplished and varied writers and was named to the Order of Canada in 1988. In 1970, he settled in Toronto and, from 1971 to 1990, taught English literature at York University and Glendon College.
Dr. David Suzuki, who is a geneticist, broadcaster and author, has an international reputation for scientific and environmental education and is recognized as a world leader in the study of sustainable ecology.

This Bill recognizes and honours the significant contributions of Jewish Canadians to the social, economic, political and cultural fabric across Ontario for more than two centuries. The Jewish community has worked side-by-side with Ontarians from all backgrounds to help build this province, and their continued involvement has supported and enhanced the diverse multicultural mosaic that makes Ontario a place envied around the world.

May was chosen because it is an important month for the Jewish Canadian community. Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israeli Independence Day frequently occur in May depending on the lunar calendar, and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and Jewish Music Week are annual May events.

Canada has the fourth largest Jewish community in the world, exceeded only by Israel, the United States, and France. More than half of this country’s 360,000 Jewish Canadians live in Ontario.

Renowned Canadians of Jewish Heritage include:

Rosalie Abella, Supreme Court Justice
Dave Barrett, former Premier of British Columbia
Leonard Cohen, musician and poet
David Croll, first Jewish senator
Drake, hip hop artist and actor
Lew Hayman, Toronto Argonauts & Montreal Alouettes coach
Naomi Klein, Activist
Stephen Lewis, Former Leader of the Ontario NDP, United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Anne Michaels, poet and novelist
Peter C. Newman, journalist
Nathan Phillips, Mayor of Toronto
Louis Rasminsky, Order of Canada, 3rd Governor Bank of Canada
Mordecai Richler, author, screenwriter and essayist
William Shatner, actor and director
Miriam Waddington, poet

Governments at every level are using embellished assertions of austerity to try and turn popular opinion against public sector workers.

Here in Toronto, we saw the Ford administration announce a $774-million deficit in 2011, and use it to justify service cuts and contracting out though the service review and the 2012 Budget process. Only a half-year later, we hear the City’s posting a whopping $292-million surplus.

At the Federal level, the Harper Conservatives cited ‘austerity’ when they interfered with the collective bargaining rights of postal workers and Air Canada employees. They also changed the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to allow employers to pay migrant workers, who already aren’t allowed to unionize, 15% less than their Canadian counterparts.

As the very rich get richer and middle income earners get more and more squeezed, it’s no wonder we’re seeing levels of income inequality in Canada not seen for decades.

So let’s take this May Day to remember why we so desperately need a strong labour movement.

Toronto is known worldwide for its quality of life, thanks in large part to the public services that Local 79 members provide.

We have a responsibility as providers of these valuable services to defend them, and we want as unionized workers to support those who are fighting austerity and anti-worker agendas in other parts of Canada and the world.

Click here to read CUPE National’s May Day letter.