Strong, public services make life more affordable for everyone.
The services provided by CUPE 79 members who work for the City of Toronto will be crucial as we weather the economic crisis unfolding as a result of US tariffs.
City workers:
- Provide employment and supports for low-income families
- Advocate & support tenants, especially as the tariff crisis unfolds
- Deliver public health services, including emergency dispatchers to deal with local emergencies
- Sustain city infrastructure that provides everything from clean drinking water to safe beaches
- Maintain city parks and recreation centres, as well as deliver community programming
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Let's make our solidarity visible!
When you make your solidarity visible, by sending an email to your elected representative expressing our support for CUPE 79, putting up posters, or sharing social media posts (Facebook & Twitter), it sends a message to other workers and the employer that we stand together in the fight for decent work. That visibility helps build the confidence of CUPE 79 members fighting for decent work AND sends a message to the employer that community members will not be pitted against city workers. The more solidarity we build, the more power we have to raise the floor of wages and working conditions for everyone.Did you know?
- Toronto city workers have lost 12% of the value of their wages due to inflation. Now they are being forced to consider strike action just to get liveable wages, safe working conditions, and an end to the staffing shortage. As CUPE 79 has rightly noted, these issues make it harder to fill vacancies, maintain staffing levels, and address workload issues.
- 12,000 city workers are paid the minimum wage. The minimum wage is not enough for anyone. These workers need at least $20 an hour, and part-time workers deserve the same pay and good benefits as their full-time, permanent coworkers.
The City of Toronto should be a leader in raising the floor of wages and working conditions, not an employer meeting minimal legal standards or replicating patterns of high pay for management while workers struggle to get by. This is especially true since the majority of city workers are women and racialized workers.
