Toronto community and seniors housing workers vote in favour of strike mandate, union files no-board report

CUPE Local 79, the union representing city social housing staff and seniors' support workers, provides an update on a strike vote and what workers are asking fo

The union representing workers at the city’s community and seniors housing has filed a no-board report, which, if issued by the province, will begin a countdown towards a possible strike.

CUPE Local 79 made the announcement on Friday during a news conference, where the union also revealed that its members who work for the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC) voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

The union said 98 per cent of TCHC workers and 94 per cent of TSHC workers were in favour.

CUPE Local 79, which represents about 30,000 City of Toronto inside workers, said their TCHC and TSHC staff have seen escalating workplace violence, chronic understaffing due to unfilled vacancies and employers’ refusal to act on safety.

Once the Ministry of Labour approves the no-board request, the union and the city have 17 days to get a tentative deal done, or there would be a possible work stoppage.

“This step is serious and not one that we take lightly. But it’s also powerful. It means workers are no longer waiting. We are setting the timeline. We are setting the tone and we’re making it clear that we will not back down until there’s a fair deal on the table,” union president Nas Yadollahi said during a news conference.

“We will not accept rollbacks. We will not accept unsafe workplaces. And we will not stop until every worker has the respect, protection and the fair contract that they deserve.”

In a statement, the TCHC said that without their workers, it wouldn’t be able to serve its more than 10,000 tenants, which is why it remains focused on reaching a deal with the union.

“The health, safety and well-being of CUPE Local 79 members – and all TCHC staff – remains our highest priority. This is why President and CEO Sean Baird, as well as all TCHC leaders, have been meeting with staff this fall to understand the day-to-day challenges that many staff are dealing with when supporting tenants. TCHC leadership is listening and is taking action because we agree that all staff do tremendous work in supporting tenants,” the statement read.

TCHC said it’s been bargaining since early September and maintains that it will remain at the table “for however long it takes.”

“We’re confident that if we continue to work together with our union partners, we’ll get a fair and respectful deal for everyone involved,” the corporation said.