Region 5 Website

On Dec. 6th 1989, around 4 PM, 14 women were killed at Ecole Polytechnique because they were women.  Since 1991, December 6th has marked a National Day of Remembrance and Action On Violence Against Women.

This massacre should never have happened and this massacre should never be forgotten. 

Please join us to remember those women that have died because of gender based violence, those women that live with this type of violence in their everyday lives and those that work towards eliminating all forms of violence against women.

Between 5pm and 5:30pm, join us to walk in solidarity from the Toronto Regional Office at 31 Wellesley Street, to the vigil organized by Women Won’t Forget which is scheduled to start at 6pm at Philosopher’s Walk on the South Side of Bloor just West of Avenue Road in Toronto.  This is a candlelight vigil and all are welcome.  Please bring a rose and a candle (note a small candle in a larger glass is more likely to stay lit during the solidarity walk).  The ceremony will go on regardless of weather.  The vigil consists of a Native healing ceremony, speakers and musical and spoken word performance.

The Center for Women’s Studies in Education is honoured to announce the 14th Annual Dame Nita Barrow Lecture entitled:  Women’s Human Rights: The Promise and the Reality.

Shanthi Dairiam, Founder and First Executive Director of Women’s Human Rights Action Watch Asia-Pacific, member of the UN CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) (2005-2008) draws on her own extensive experience and research to present an overview of general trends in the  achievement of women’s right to equality, the conceptual and contextual barriers to women’s equality and women’s relentless organizing around CEDAW.

November 10, 2011,  7pm

Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place, Toronto
Reception to follow at the OISE Library, 252 Bloor St. West

Free, open to the public, no RSVP necessary

The 14th Annual Dame Nita Barrow Lecture is presented by The Centre for Women’s Studies in Education (CWSE) at OISE/UofT, with support from The International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Email: cwse@utoronto.ca or visit http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/cwse/Dame_Nita_Barrow_Distinguished_Visitorship_(DNB)/index.html for more information .

This month’s Executive Board meeting will be held on October 26th and 27th at the Delta East (Kennedy Road and Highway 401). The start time is 9:30 AM on the 26th and 9:00 AM on the 27th. Members are allowed to come to the board meetings, however, this is on their own time and at their own expense. OPSEU/Region 5 does not provide letters for time off for members to attend, pay their time off, own time, or pay any expenses. Attendance is purely voluntary.

If you have the free time to come out and observe the board meeting, we’d be more than happy to see you.

GTAC General Meeting
Date: Wednesday, October 19
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: OPSEU Toronto Membership Centre, 31 Wellesley St. East

This month’s agenda includes:

1) Provincial Election Post-Mortem – OPSEU’s Political Action Strategy, the Provincial Election and the Fight against the Cuts
2) The Occupy Toronto Mobilization – Building Links with a New Movement
3) OPSEU and the OFL
4) CAAT Support Strike & Ratification – Report

Food and refreshments provided.

Planning to come? Great! Please reply to this e-mail or contact Bob Taylor to let us know: roberttaylor@pathcom.com or 416-482-6680.

As I am sure you are aware the 6,800 flight attendants at Air Canada have served strike notice and will be in a legal strike position on October 13, 2011 at 12:01 am. CUPE will be setting up picket lines on October 13, starting at 6:00 am at the Toronto International Airport and at 5:45 am at the Ottawa Airport. The union intends to have four shifts each day and they are asking for the solidarity and support of other unions in both regions for the duration of their strike.

Of course, this strike is of particular interest to the entire labour movement because Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Labour Minister Lisa Raitt have already threatened back-to-work legislation for Air Canada employees on two occasions (with respect to CAW and the earlier CUPE strike deadline). Now Minister Raitt is appealing to the Canada Industrial Relations Board in order to prevent workers from exercising their right to strike. These actions are a threat to the fundamental workplace freedoms of all Canadians.

These flight attendants have made tremendous sacrifices over the past 10 years to help Air Canada weather stormy skies and get back to prosperity. They took a 20 per cent cut in salaries and benefits in 2004 and agreed to a pension moratorium and a cost neutral contract in 2009. Now that the company is turning a profit, the company has chosen to reward CEO Calin Rovinescu with $4.6 million in salary and bonuses for last year. These flight attendants also deserve a reward for their dedication and sacrifices. They are seeking a fair collective agreement with better working conditions and improved protections for pension funds.

At this point, it is difficult to know how long these workers will be able to picket, or whether they will be able to strike at all. However, the union is still preparing to set up their picket lines tomorrow morning. We hope that you will mobilize your members to join them in a strong showing of labour support for these workers and for the collective bargaining rights of every worker.

For updates on this workplace action, please contact Robin McKenna at 289-260-0126 (cell) or rmckenna@cupe.ca.