Striking York University Food Service Workers Win $15 and Fairness

Alia Karim and David Bush

On Monday March 6th, striking York University food service workers, represented by Unite Here Local 75, voted to accept their new contract. The workers went on strike for and won a $15/hour starting wage and fair working conditions. Their victory paves the way for workers right across the province to achieve $15 and fairness.The workers won major improvements to their contract in the nearly three week strike. They will see an immediate bump in their starting wage from $12.21 per hour to $13.21, which will apply retroactively back to last September. There will be a further wage increase this coming September and by the end of the first year of the contract, the starting wage for all workers will be $15.The workers won improvements in contract language which will protect union work and breaks. They also achieved a significant victory by getting Aramark to fully cover the dental plan, which the company has never done for any of its workers in North America. By the end of the contract, all workers, both full-time and part-time, will be on the health and dental plan.The 160 Aramark food service workers at York University had been preparing for this round of contract negotiations since last year. The low pay, bullying, racial discrimination by management, and the poor working conditions bred widespread discontent amongst the workers. They built up the confidence to take on a powerful multinational corporation and the York University administration by marching on their boss, holding demonstrations, and organizing mass meetings with other food service workers across the GTA. Through months of organizing, the workers in the union were able to produce a 100 per cent strike ratification vote.On February 2, the food service workers walked off the job on a one-day strike, shutting down all Aramark locations at York University. The workers marched on campus, held multiple rallies, and demonstrated their strength to the employer and the administration.Workers then went on indefinite strike on February 16. They held a picket line at the main gate and organized two marches on campus a day. During York's reading week, which was on the second week of the strike, the union organized a week of actions downtown targeting the company. They were joined by the striking food service workers from UofT Scarborough (who are still on strike).

Media Release: Councillor Pasternak Strongly Opposes the Decision to Close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre

March 2, 2017Media Release: Councillor Pasternak Strongly Opposes the Decision to Close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 10, York Centre, strongly objects to the decision to close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre, 555 Finch Avenue West, in June 2017."It is extremely disappointing that the decision was made to close the Urgent Care Centre in June. This facility is an incredibly valuable resource for the local community that enables residents to receive care for urgent illnesses and injuries that are not life threatening. I am calling on the Premier and Minister of Health and Long Term Care to reconsider this decision," said Councillor Pasternak.The Branson Ambulatory Care Centre is one of North York General Hospital's three sites. In addition to the Urgent Care Centre, Branson also provides vital services for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, mental health, medical imaging, cataract surgery and diabetes education programs. In 2015-16, the outpatient volume at the Branson Site was 68,693 with 21,858 visits to the Urgent Care Centre.North York General has determined that it will not be renewing its lease at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre in 2019 as the Advent Corporation has extensive redevelopment plans for the site that will include a seniors’ living and care community."I would be of great benefit to the community for the Urgent Care Centre to remain open until the end of the facility's lease in 2019. We will work with any medical facility to activate this site and ensure its long-term sustainability," said Councillor Pasternak.- End  -Councillor James Pasternak416-392-1371 | councillor_pasternak@toronto.cawww.jamespasternak.ca

Access to Healthcare Services Is Everyone’s Problem

“Cancer patients have been complaining about the lack of parking all day”, the compassionate and understanding admin said to me as I arrived 30 minutes late for my appointment in the Cancer Clinic at the Humber River Regional Hospital.  I had arrived at the campus in time for my appointment but then found myself driving around from parking lot to parking lot, along with dozens of other cars carrying sick people to the hospital, only to discover that every single lot was completely full.  There was literally no patient parking anywhere on the multi-billion-dollar complex.  Again.  The same thing had happened on the day of my previous appointment.  I had paid $120 for a parking pass that was completely useless.  What was I going to do?As I exited the rear of the complex, I drove past three giant, passive-aggressive signs at the entrances of the three, large, half-full City of Toronto building parking lots that said, “PRIVATE PROPERTY!” and “NO HOSPITAL PARKING!” in bold red letters.  Clearly the city was aware of the problem.  Clearly the city felt it wasn’t its problem.  Driving back around to the front of the complex, I noticed a tow truck on stand-by, waiting like a vulture for a patient to become sick enough or desperate enough to leave an unattended vehicle.I drove North of the hospital until the city’s unnecessary “no parking signs” in the adjacent residential area ceased to bloom. I passed dozens of cars, many of which had parking tickets for daring to park on a city street near a hospital for too long.  The city was not only aware of the problem; it was also actively profiting from it through parking fines.  When I eventually found a legal place to park my vehicle, the walk back to the hospital took 20 minutes.  I’m able-bodied and in good health.  Most hospital patients cannot walk for 20 minutes to go to and from their chemotherapy sessions.  It’s unthinkable.The CEO of the Humber River Regional Hospital, Barb Collins, is very proud of the many awards it has received.  It’s unfortunate that none of these awards are related to the very real, lived, patient experiences that have repeatedly been brought to her attention, like this one.  Imagine the negative impact on the health of a cancer patient who has to deal with the frustration and expense of recovering a towed vehicle at the same time as chemotherapy, all because of “not my problem” finger pointing and poor planning for patient parking!  Perhaps if a “fewest patients’ cars towed” award were created the Hospital would actually address the problem and add it to its list of “achievements”, since awards, not patient care, seem to be the executive priority.

As hydro bills continue to climb, families in North York are suffering

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath met with numerous residents of 2901 Jane St. in North York to discuss the impact of skyrocketing hydro rates on their families. “Hydro rates are out of control in this province because of bad decisions made by the Liberal government to privatize more and more of our electricity system,” said Horwath. “Instead of looking after her friends on Bay Street, the Premier should take real steps to help families throughout the GTA by making hydro affordable.” Residents of 2901 Jane St.  told the NDP Leader about the challenges they are facing as retired people living on a fixed income. Even after switching to equal billing and receiving small rebates through the Ontario Electricity Support Program residents are still struggling, some going so far as to not cook or use electricity at all between 7am to 7pm. The residents of 2901 Jane St. are not unique in their struggles.  Hydro bills have been skyrocketing out of control for many Ontarians all across the province. “I hear stories like these regularly from people I visit,” said Horwath.  “Hydro rates are too high, they have been for a long time and Kathleen Wynne isn’t doing much about it.  In fact, she is making it worse by continuing to sell-off Hydro One which will drive rates even further up.” The NDP Leader urged the Liberal government to do the right thing and cancel her plan to sell-off Hydro One because it will only make electricity more expensive for families, businesses and community organizations in Ontario.

A Strike for Real Food and Real Jobs at York University

If you have ever bought food at York University, you likely didn’t spare much thought for the person serving you. We tend not to think much of the people serving us but they think a lot about us. At York, they even think of their customers as their kids, making sure that they serve good food and provide a good service.  Customer service isn’t easy, with many hours on your feet to serve an often fickle public -it’s a job that can be made even worse with bad management. The situation at York illustrates this perfectly.Food service workers at the university are not directly employed by York and are not covered by any existing labour agreements with York employees. Instead, York has contracted out the operation of most cafes and restaurants on campus to Aramark, a company notorious for not paying employees for the hours they’ve worked and for firing food service employees for speaking out about unsanitary working conditions. It’s hardly surprising that many of these workers privately admit that they would never eat at an Aramark operated shop because of the number of health code violations they’ve seen on the job.The circumstances at York are hardly different, but at least they are members of a union. In addition to the health code violations, many employees who’ve worked there for over ten years are still not considered full time and are not even eligible for benefits. Unite Here, the union covering the workers, has also documented instances of Aramark managers using racist names for their employees, many of whom come from Caribbean countries. In at least one instance, a manager kicked an employee hard enough to leave a bruise on her shin. This employee was later suspended for being too loud – the fact that she is part of the union bargaining committee makes this management decision highly suspicious.The situation has deteriorated to the point that a strike vote taken in December passed unanimously – there were no members who voted against the measure. Real Food Real Jobs, a campus organization of students, faculty, and community members who work to aid the workers, has held information sessions so everyone on campus knows what’s at stake and what to expect.Not all shops on campus are operated by Aramark; sympathizers can visit the Real Food Real Jobs website or Facebook page to see which shops to avoid during the strike. Winter is a difficult time for a strike so let’s all show our support.

Letters to the Editor

December 9, 2016Editor:Regarding your article of November 23, 2016 entitled ‘Humber River Regional (sic) Hospital: new site, same problems’… I thought I would share a few facts about the hospital with you.First, like all hospitals, not every single one of the more than 2,800 patients we treat on an average day leaves feeling completely satisfied with their experience. And while we work very hard to prevent that, no hospital has a 100% patient satisfaction score – no hospital.That’s why, among other available resources, we have a Patient Representative – someone dedicated to helping patients and family members voice their concerns to hospital leaders when they have them, ensuring they get information in a timely manner, and a forthright, timely response. Her work is reported through a Board Committee directly to the Board of Directors of the hospital – in effect, the community’s representatives. We take complaints about care and service very seriously.But there’s a reason why Humber received Accreditation Canada’s highest quality award, Accreditation with Exemplary Standing, in its last survey. In fact the hospital scored a 98.1% compliance rate with more than 2,000 Accreditation Standards; and a 100% compliance rating with all Accreditation Canada Required Organizational Practices.There’s a reason why visitors are coming to Humber from countries around the world – Brazil, China, the U.K; Australia; the U.S.A. and others. They are coming to learn, going home to emulate some of the amazing work going on at Humber.There’s a reason why in our October 2016 staff and physician survey, over 86% of the Humber team strongly agreed with this statement: “I would recommend this organization to friends and family who require care.” This was a completely confidential survey, by the way.There’s a reason why the independent National Research Corporation’s latest survey of Humber’s inpatients shows Humber scoring over 10% better than the average for GTA hospitals (81% vs. 73%). Again, this was a completely confidential survey.There’s a reason why our Emergency Department wait times until the first assessment by an ED physician is among the best in the province.There’s a reason why no Humber clinical area has had an infectious disease outbreak for over two years (and counting).There’s a reason why, on November 12th, a Humber physician was honoured at the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology (OAG) Gala Dinner with the OAG’s Distinguished Service Award.There’s a reason why, on November 18th, a Humber ICU nurse received the CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) Joan Lesmond IEN of the Year Award. The award is named to honour the late Dr. Joan Lesmond, a champion of diverse and inclusive nursing.There’s a reason why Humber River is the GTA hospital of choice for Queens University Medical School.There’s a reason why Humber is home to the first bariatric surgery program outside the USA to be certified by the American College of Surgeons.There’s a reason why Humber is home to the first robotic surgery program in any Canadian community hospital.And, yes, there’s a reason why Humber is home to North America’s first fully digital hospital.That reason is a simple one: the great men and women who work at our hospital are dedicated to the patients and families they care for, and are committed to the highest standards of care delivery. Every day.And every day we hear from patients and families grateful for the compassionate, professional, respectful care they receive at Humber River Hospital.Sincerely,(via email)Barbara CollinsPresident & CEOHumber River Hospital

Canada’s Role in Response to the Muslim Ban

Inaugurated less than two weeks ago, actions taken by newly elected US President, Donald Trump, has left many disturbed. People are unsure about their future, their safety and their families.On Friday, January 27th Trump signed an executive order blocking citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. This order also suspends all refugees from seeking asylum in the United States for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indeterminately, resulting in 100-200 people being detained at American airports -separated from their families and loved ones and being ‘sent home.’Many protests took place around the world and at airports in response to what is known as the #MuslimBan. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other activist groups filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of two detainees being held at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.New York Federal Judge, Ann M. Donnelly, blocked part of the ban over the weekend, stopping the government from deporting those who had already arrived in the United States.On Sunday morning, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement in compliance with court orders and Trump’s executive order leaving many in disarray. Hate only ensues hate and barring innocent people and those seeking safety in the name of terrorism only perpetrates a divide – bringing us back to the Cold War.Is Canada truly the peaceful neighbour?Often Canada is represented as the friendlier neighbour to the North. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau takes selfies and pictures with pandas, so in comparison to the US, we are depicted as peaceful and welcoming.Contrary to Trump’s election promises, Trudeau promised for more Syrian refugees to be granted asylum in Canada. Trudeau promised to take 25 000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 during his campaign. However, he constantly pushed back the date of his promise and many refugees still face a backlog in their applications being processed. Thousands of Syrian refugees were privately sponsored. By the end of 2016, the Liberal Government went back on their promise in capping the number of privately sponsored Syrian refugees to 1000 in 2017.Trudeau started a #WelcomeToCanada hashtag in response to Trump’s executive order, with an old picture of himself with a young refugee. Again, Canada is portrayed as the friendlier neighbour, but political leadership needs to go beyond selfies and empty promises.• Syrian Refugees’ basic needs are not being met often ending up with frost-bites and little-to-no supports for settlement• PM Trudeau sold $15-billion of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia reminding of us of the US’ militant role in the Middle East• PM Trudeau has been inconsistent on the Temporary Foreign Worker program• Pulling on the heartstrings of Canadians, PM Trudeau focuses on Syrian refugees but not African asylum-seekers or others around the worldSadly, Canada is not immune to hate and Islamophobia. A horrific terrorist attack at a Quebec City mosque overnight left 6 people dead and 8 injured last night. People may feel like their hands are tied and they are unsure about what they can do. Here are some ways you can take action:1. Email your local MP to request the Emergency Debate that NDP MPP Jenny Kwan has called for http://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-calls-emergency-debate-address-trump-immigration-ban2. Share this information:If anyone knows a Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Somali, Sudanese, or Yemeni green card holder who is stuck outside the US with tickets to return to IAD (Dulles Airport)--please contact Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg. He is the Director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Center in Washington, DC.simon@justice4all.org703-778-34503. Call, email, visit or reach out to a friend or family member who is affected by Islamophobia to let them know you are here4. Say no to Islamophobia by joining a peaceful protest or a vigil in your neighbourhood https://www.facebook.com/events/407436779648169/5. Sign the Broadbent Institute Petition so that Canada can act now:http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/travel_ban_petitionCheck out these articles for details:• https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/24/ottawas-new-cap-on-refugee-applications-upsets-sponsors.html• http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-must-stick-to-its-word-on-saudi-arms-deal-trudeau-says/article29981571/• https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/08/24/trudeau-liberals-tiptoe-into-temporary-foreign-workers-minefield-walkom.html• http://time.com/4031569/migrant-crisis-europe-african-refugees/

Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire holds its 6th Annual Gala

Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire (PEH) celebrated its 6th annual gala aiming to collect donations in favour of St. Paul School in Corail Cesselesse, Haiti. The event took place Saturday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m., at the Don Valley Hotel and Suites in Toronto.Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire organized an unforgettable event with great food, an amazing dance presented by Rugcutterz Danz Artz and an opera presented by the amazing young man, Jeffrey Smith along with pianist Maria Merkolova.Dr. Eric Pierre, founder of this organization and Honorary Consul, does not hesitate to affirm: "this event is one of the most important to raise funds for the school. It is by working together that we make it possible to finish the construction of the second floor level of St. Paul School.”Since 2008, Pierspective organizes the gala with the help of volunteers and, each time, the revenues help with the construction of St. Paul School. The intention is to provide education to more students at the primary, secondary and professional level in one location.During the Gala, a few people received an award for the humanitarian and social work services they have accomplished. Among them, Annik Chalifour, journalist at the Express Toronto, Akwatu Khenti from CAMH, Maria Masucci and Mohini Basran as well as Father Michael Corcione and Claudio Moser, from the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter.According to Antoine Derose, president of Pierspective, "the Ministry of Education in Haiti lacks resources to rebuild schools and train teachers since the earthquake in 2010. Therefore, charitable contributions, including Pierspective, are extremely important."Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire is a charitable organization created in June 2002 that built St. Paul School in Corail Cesselesse, Haiti. Today, the school welcomes more than 400 students. The organization is currently in the midst of building the second floor of this school so every donation makes a huge difference.To learn more about: visit www.haitiaide.ca or check out their Facebook page: Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire.

Tolls are Not the Way to Build a City

The City’s Mayor recently proposed to put up tolls on the Gardiner and the DVP in order to raise money for transit and roads. Many people support this idea as the environmentally responsible thing to do and just as many more think that out of town drivers need to pay their fair share too.This line of thinking, however, has many problems. For starters, this new levy is going to hurt working people that have no travel options the most. If you work downtown, but have no other mode of transportation and cannot afford to live downtown, this will be very unfair to you. Most people cannot afford to live in the core of the City any more. If that is where you work or study you are not driving there by choice. Nobody drives downtown without a reason during rush hour nowadays, the commute is awful. Let us not forget that the drive in the 401 is awful, because Hwy 407 costs money to use. If we force cars and the people that drive them off our highways for environmental reasons, but Lakeshore Blvd and Avenue Road become rush hour parking lots, will that reduce the carbon foot print of the City? Where is the study that shows that the effects seen in other places will work here? What options are being built for commuters and when will these be available for them?Many of us do not have an easy transit route downtown and a car isn’t an option for many, but is instead the only means of getting to the place where you make a living. Tolls may, in theory, provide some resolution for the transportation needs of suburban commuters, but do not solve their real life transportation problems for the next 10 plus years. The poorer you are as a regular commuter, the worse tolls will make your situation, because tolls are after all a flat tax that hits the working people relatively harder.Tolls are not used normally to pay for major infrastructure projects as it is being proposed in Toronto, but instead for operational maintenance. Tolls are normally used to repave roads and other operational costs and City’s alone do not build major infrastructure project in North America. The City is short of money, because the Province has structured it that way and it lacks the power to make a better choice, but it is still a poor choice. We must remember that the Gardiner and the DVP are Provincial highways, but the government is making the City maintain them. There is no natural disaster we are dealing with, but rather, we are dealing with the downloading that has been happening for decades now.Furthermore, to think that tolls would allow Toronto to build new subways lines, more LRT’s or more highways is not thinking outside the box. It’s defying reality. You would never be able to raise enough money from this type of taxation tool. Tolls will be bad for the health of the City in the long run because they accentuate poverty.Most of us do not like user fees instinctively. Not too long ago in the Advocate, Howard Moscoe wrote an article about hospital parking fees and we had a good response from our readers about that article (http://www.downsviewadvocate.ca/2016/01/enough-with-hospital-parking-fees/). There is no difference between parking fees in a hospital, the fee you pay nowadays for your passport renewal, fees to use libraries or public parks or any number of other fees that are new and that keep on adding to the cost of living for working people.The truth is, neither property taxes nor tolls will build a City. In order to build a City we need the Province and Canada to come to the table with plans and the funds to build and maintain our infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of dollars that were available to the City of Toronto and other cities yearly throughout Ontario in the past are no longer there. They came from Provincial coffers through income tax, a much more progressive taxation method. We must change the existing conditions of Toronto and other cities to truly fix our transit problems. The services we all share and use collectively, like roads, libraries and hospitals need to be funded properly, but tolls will not solve our current problems.

At-risk youth in Jane and Finch face an unhappy Christmas

What started in the 90s as an organization that tackled alcohol and drug abuse expanded to tackle other problems using a community-based approach. However, it soon became obvious that poverty was a major contributing factor to a major problem in the community.Officially, PEACH (Promoting Education and Community Health) developed an anti-poverty mandate and worked to promote community economic development. This was still not enough, as there were existing systemic barriers that promoted poverty in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood. Lack of access to mental and physical health resources were thus identified as symptoms and causes of poverty. In addition, youths who were suspended from school or dropped out were at high risk of engaging in crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and had very little opportunity for economic advancement.A more holistic approach to addressing poverty was needed and PEACH adapted in order to better serve its community. Community problems require a strong community to address them and PEACH implemented programs like Rhyme N Reason, a music studio to help youths and residents express themselves through music; the Digital Innovation Hub, the only place in the Jane and Finch area that offers free programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to youth; and the Moms Group, a group for mothers to network, share experiences, and attend programs for health and self-sustainability.To help at-risk youth, the School Away From School (SAS) program was created to help youth who either dropped out or were suspended a chance to earn the credits they needed to graduate. Youth are referred through the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board and receive help from PEACH’s teachers and child and youth workers to give them the life skills to aid them into transitioning back into the regular education system. They attend classes at PEACH and receive a healthy nutritious meal cooked at the on-site kitchen by the school’s chef. The classes are not just meant to earn them credits but also to educate them on things like how to manage a monthly budget or how to prepare healthy meals.The SAS program has been funded by sponsors such as the Rogers Youth Fund, the Youth Challenge Fund, and an assortment of family foundations through the Toronto Foundation. However, PEACH received word that funders like Rogers were withdrawing their money, leaving the organization with a significant funding shortfall.PEACH has $70 000 of monthly operating costs and if they are not able to meet it they will be forced to close SAS by December 23rd and other programs in the new year. PEACH staff have been furiously applying for funding and have even started a GoFundMe campaign to raise this money. If they are unsuccessful, at-risk youth in Jane and Finch face a very unhappy Christmas.For more information visit: http://peachyouth.org/