Results of strike votes taken by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) bargaining units around the province indicate decisive majorities voting in favour of a strike mandate that would enable the application of sanctions up to a full withdrawal of services in local areas if necessary. The reporting varies, with most, but not all locals or districts releasing their results broken down by bargaining unit.

ETFO indicates that holding strike votes does not mean a decision has been made to actually take strike action. ETFO president Sam Hammond told reporters: "Those votes are very important for local negotiations but also our members are sending a clear message with these strike votes to this government that it's not business as usual and we are not going to stand by and allow this kind of repressive bill, unconstitutional bill, to go forward."

OSSTF points out that taking strike votes is a part of bargaining that occurs under the Ontario Labour Relations Act. It is required for employees to legally act in combination or with a common understanding not only to strike but to engage in working to rule or in some similar way curtailing work they normally do, even of a voluntary nature.

On August 27, OSSTF had announced it was postponing all strike votes which were to be held in August and the first week of September, except where a Board had requested conciliation. The reason given was that there was some progress being made in attempts to bargain locally. The votes had been scheduled since June. OSSTF changed its decision to hold strike votes in response to the McGuinty government's fear-mongering about teachers planning to disrupt the start of classes by going on strike -- something OSSTF repeatedly denied and pointed out was not even possible under the Labour Relations Act.

Fear-mongering is one of the tactics of forces pushing the anti-social offensive. The Liberals and Conservatives tried to use the spectre of a strike preventing the start of classes to manipulate the electorate in the September 6 by-elections in Kitchener-Waterloo and Vaughan as well. It was to justify bringing in draconian legislation which attacks the rights of all, the Putting Students First Act. In doing so, they believed their own lies that the public does not support teachers and education workers. This backfired and both the Liberals with their so-called balanced approach and the Conservatives with their so-called forthright approach suffered a resounding defeat in the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election while the Vaughan by-election was not a factor in giving the Liberals a mandate of any kind because of the low voter turn-out of 26 per cent of eligible voters.

Once the Putting Students First Act was adopted by the Legislature and school boards were put under orders to begin implementing the government's legislation, or else, the OSSTF reinstated its strike votes. The votes have taken the character of not only a vote for a strike mandate, but also a rejection of the McGuinty-Hudak schemes to violate the rights of all.

ETFO Strike Votes

Superior-Greenstone (Manitouwadge, Geraldton, Marathon, Nipigon-Red Rock area): Teachers -- 98%, Occasional Teachers -- 100%

Rainbow (Sudbury, Espanola, Manitoulin area): Teachers -- 98%, Occasional Teachers -- 98%, Designated Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) -- 95%

Near North (North Bay, Parry Sound, Sturgeon Falls area): Teachers -- 91%, Occasional Teachers -- 97%

Simcoe (Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood area): Teachers -- 97%, Occasional Teachers -- 92% Designated ECEs -- 86%, Burkvale school (Penetanguishene) -- 100%

Trillium Lakelands (Lindsay, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Muskoka area): Teachers -- 99%, Occasional Teachers -- 100%, Designated ECEs -- 96%

Renfrew County (Pembroke, Renfrew, Petawawa, Deep River area): Teachers -- 95%, Occasional Teachers -- 87%, Education Support Personnel -- 91%, Professional Support Personnel -- 84%

Hastings & Prince Edward County (Belleville, Trenton, Picton area): Teachers -- 94%, Occasional Teachers -- 93%

Durham (Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering area): Teachers -- 98%, Occasional Teachers -- 94%, Designated ECEs -- 98% (Close to 2,000 members voting)

Hamilton Wentworth: Teachers -- 97%, Occasional Teachers -- 91%, Designated ECEs -- 91%

Grand Erie (Brantford, Dunnville, Caledonia area): Teachers -- 97%, Occasional Teachers -- 93%, Designated ECEs -- 93%

Waterloo Region (Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge area): Teachers -- 97%, Occasional Teachers -- 97%, Designated ECEs -- 95%

OSSTF Strike Votes

Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie, Elliott Lake, Wawa area): Teachers -- 95%, Occasional Teachers -- 89%, Educational Support Staff -- 78%, ECEs -- 77%

Bluewater (Owen Sound, Meaford, Kincardine, Chesley area): Teachers -- 98%, Support Staff -- 87%

Simcoe (Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood area): Teachers -- 95% (More than 1,070 of 1,200 teachers voting) Educational Assistants and Designated ECEs -- 90%

Kawartha Pine Ridge (Peterborough, Port Hope, Cobourg, Bowmanville area): Teachers -- 90%

Durham (Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering area): Teachers -- 94%, Occasional Teachers -- 87%.

Hastings & Prince Edward County (Belleville, Trenton, Picton area): Teachers -- 92%

Limestone (Kingston, Napanee area): Teachers and occasional teachers -- 94%, Professional Student Services Personnel -- 100%

Hamilton-Wentworth: Teachers -- 97%, Occasional Teachers -- 91%, Designated ECEs -- 91%

Peel (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon area ): Teachers -- 94.2%, Occasional Teachers -- 91.4%

York Region (Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora area): Teachers/Occasional Teachers -- 94%

Grand Erie (Brantford, Dunnville, Caledonia area): Teachers -- 95%, Occasional Teachers -- 94.3%, Professional Student Services Personnel -- 98%, Educational Support Staff and ECEs -- 92%

Avon Maitland (Stratford, Goderich, Exeter area ): Teacher/Occasional Teachers; Professional Student Services Personnel; Office, Clerical, Technical, Educational Assistants and ECEs -- "Overwhelming support"

Thames Valley (London, St. Thomas, Woodstock area): Teachers, Occasional Teachers, Professional Student Services Personnel -- 95% (2,000 members voting)

Greater Essex (Windsor, Essex, Leamington area): Teachers -- 96%, Occasional Teachers -- 99%, Educational Support Staff -- 91%, Professional Student Services Personnel -- 90%

Students in Forefront of Opposition to Attacks on Teachers and Education Workers

Students across the province are in the forefront of supporting their teachers, putting the lie to the media disinformation that their rallies are against teachers. They have been holding actions on a daily basis and at every opportunity clearly express their stand against the Putting Students First Act, and support for their teachers. Their concern over the loss of extra-curricular activities is on the basis that it is the government which is at fault and the measures taken by teachers to defend their rights are a just response to a violation of everyone's rights.

Student Rallies and Walkouts

On September 19 hundreds of students from two Belleville high schools walked out of class. The same day more than 200 students from Canterbury and other Ottawa high schools converged on Dalton McGuinty's constituency office at noon. Chants of "Kill the Bill" resounded in the streets. A sign carried by one of the students declared "My first ballot won't be for you!" Other students told a local radio station they were not only fighting for arts and sports, but were acting as a voice for their teachers, who are not allowed to strike. Earlier that morning 300 students in the nearby town of Richmond "camped out" on the lawn of their high school in the morning.

On September 20, students from high schools in Bowmanville, Hanover, Flesherton and Chesley walked out of their classes. In Bowmanville hundreds of students from two high schools marched to Clarington town hall for a high-spirited rally before taking their protest to the office of Conservative MPP John O'Toole. In Flesherton, more than 800 students gathered in the sports field behind their school, some of them carrying signs and banners that read "Fight, fight for democratic rights," "115 ruins school spirit," "Teachers and students stand together" and "McGuinty stop being a bully." In addition to the high school students, 60 elementary students walked out of their school in Flesherton.

On September 21, students in Meaford, Kirkland Lake, Mississauga and Brampton organized walkouts. On September 24, more elementary students walked out. This time 50 Grade 7 and 8 students in Peterborough left their classes at 2 pm to hold a boisterous protest in their schoolyard, where they waved signs and shouted, "We want sports!" and "We have a say!"

In addition to walkouts and protests at MPPs' offices, students have been taking other initiatives to encourage their peers to speak out and act. Students have also called for a province-wide student rally at Queen's Park on Saturday, September 29 from noon to 1:30 pm. They are calling on everyone to participate and wear black in solidarity with teachers and education workers.

Student Petitions

Another initiative students have taken are on-line petitions against the Putting Students First Act and in support of teachers. Two petitions launched by students have together gathered more than 7,500 signatures. One is entitled: "Revoke Bill 115: Put Students First." The petition states:

"We the students of Ontario, strongly believe that the passing of Bill 115 and in particular its restraints on the ability of teachers to strike is morally wrong. A society where the ability to strike can be revoked based upon the agenda of the governing provincial party regardless of what those affected think, is reckless. Although the 'Right to strike' is not a constitutional right, in our nation it is generally accepted as one of the tenets of a free and fair society with modern working conditions. Without the right to strike, workers unions become useless. We urge the Ontario legislature, the Ministry of Education and Education minister Laurel Broten to not forget what working conditions were like only a century ago and the role that unions and the right to protest played in our modern labour laws."

It then calls for Bill 115 to be repealed and for teachers to be allowed to negotiate their own contracts. It concludes with a declaration that [students who sign it] "will continue to exercise our right to strike as students on behalf of our teachers, until the provincial legislature modifies the 'Putting Students First Act' so that the bill actually takes into account the opinion of students it claims to represent." A final postscript makes clear why students are concerned about the loss of extra-curricular activities: "It is also particularly important that we ensure the rights of our teachers are restored so that the impromptu 'Work to Rule' that has been occurring ends promptly. Students rely on extra curriculars for scholarships and to get into universities."

Another petition is entitled: "Protest Bill 115, The 'Putting Students First Act' and Support Teachers!" The petition reads:

"By enacting Bill 115, the so-called 'Putting Students First Act' teachers have been stripped of their right to strike. Teachers have decided to fight back. Because they no longer have the right to strike and walk out of work, all extra-curricular activities have been cancelled to fight back against the government. This means that there will be no extra help for students. This means that there will be no clubs for students. This means that there will be no sports teams for students. Everything that makes school a place that is fun and enjoyable is currently lost.

"Teachers work so hard to create these activities for us and should not be ripped off by the government. All extra-curricular activities, extra help, and coaching teachers do is VOLUNTEER BASED. THEY RECEIVE NO PAY FOR THESE ACTIVITIES. Let's show the government how we appreciate the work they do for us and support them!

"Extra-curricular activities are what bring a school community together. This is affecting students all across Ontario and is weighing heavily on students and teachers alike. Please bring things back to the way they should be."

Teachers and Education Workers in Action

Following the first set of rallies held on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15, on September 21 teachers and education workers from the various unions in the sector and their supporters continued to hold rallies at constituency offices of Liberal and Conservative MPPs in Guelph, Toronto and Oakville. Also on September 21, a spirited picket was held at the Caboto Club in Windsor where Finance Minister and local MPP Dwight Duncan was speaking at a noon hour Chamber of Commerce luncheon sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Meanwhile, teachers and support staff continue to wear black to work one day a week, with many teachers having withdrawn from volunteer extra-curricular activities.

Sudbury Teachers Challenge Legitimacy of Government "Roadmap for Education"

On September 21, the Sudbury local of the Elementary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) informed via a press release that its Elementary Bargaining Unit voted unanimously to file a complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board against their Provincial Executive "for failing in their duty of fair representation" in its negotiation and signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government of Ontario on July 5, 2012. The MOU signed with OECTA under a great deal of pressure was used by the government to try and claim that thousands of teachers were signing onto the government's roadmap. The press release states that OECTA members and even presidents were deprived of the right to refuse the MOU, representing a violation of their fundamental rights. This revelation reveals the lie of the McGuinty government's script about "55,000 Ontario teachers who signed onto the roadmap" and raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the deal the government pressured OECTA into signing that the government is now forcing on the entire school board sector.

Kent MacNeill, President of OECTA's Sudbury Elementary Unit, points out in the press release: "We believe that in our society, democracy should reign supreme. Everyone should have the right to vote. Everyone should have the right to give input into their working conditions. The MofU took away these fundamental rights from my members. Even worse, my members lost significantly more under this MofU than any other unit in the province, as stated by the Provincial President, yet they cannot refuse to accept this MofU. In fact, when the Presidents from all OECTA Units were called down to a Special Council of Presidents Meeting in July, we were told that even if the Council should fail to endorse the MofU, it was ratified by the Provincial Executive and so was a done deal."

Ottawa Rally to Support Teachers and
Education Workers

On Friday, September 28, teachers, education workers and their supporters in Ottawa will hold a rally at the Ontario Liberal Party's Annual General Meeting to oppose the attacks on teachers and education workers by the McGuinty government. The event is entitled: "Set the Tone for the Weekend" and calls on everyone to: "Show Premier McGuinty, cabinet, caucus, riding associations and OLP members what you think of infringements on your collective bargaining rights." Everyone is encouraged to attend!

Chicago Teachers' Militant Defence of
Right to Education

Chicago teachers and staff, organized by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) waged a nine day strike to defend their rights and the right to education. The teachers militantly opposed changes to the education system designed to deprive the right to education of a guarantee. The significance of the strike can be appreciated since Chicago is the third largest school district in the United States. The strike was ended when on Tuesday, September 18, the CTU House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly to suspend the strike and send the contract to all 26,000 CTU members for a ratification vote.

The teachers won an average of 16 per cent pay rise over four years, better benefits such as paid maternity leave and improved pensions. Essential to this strike, however, was the stand the Chicago teachers took against President Obama's education policies known as the Race to the Top initiative implemented by his former chief of staff Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.

The kinds of policies being pushed by Mayor Emmanuel in Chicago and similar schemes being implemented in the State of Michigan include mechanisms to take over boards which are deemed to be "failing" based on the level of "student achievement" -- a euphemism for low standardized test scores. Ontario's Education Act has been amended by the McGuinty government since it came to power so as to pave the way for the similar policies. Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act and the recent provincial takeover of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board negates the decision-making of school boards, teachers and education workers, their defence organizations, parents and communities.

Obama's "Race to the Top"

Obama's Race to the Top, which provides money to states and school districts that submit to its requirements, has forced many states and local school boards to accept broad attacks on teachers and the public school system. It is imposes the privatization of decision-making and serves to eliminate the public school system -- removing school boards, teachers and their unions from decision-making. Parents and students also have a lessened role, as more power is concentrated in the hands of executives at the state and federal levels. Instead of renewing public education to bring public schools to the level required by society, these "reforms" are creating conditions for anarchy, where each individual school has different conditions for teaching and learning and parents have no local authority to which they can appeal.

Teacher Evaluation, Test Scores and Charter Schools

For Chicago teachers, Race to the Top has also meant contending with teacher "evaluation" systems based on student test scores. As teachers and many researchers and educators have brought out, the arbitrary testing regime and using student test scores as a means to evaluate teachers is causing great harm. The Chicago Teachers' Congress explained: "After the initial phase-in of the new evaluation system it could result in 6,000 teachers (or nearly 30 per cent of our members) being discharged within one or two years. This is unacceptable. We are also concerned that too much of the new evaluations will be based on students' standardized test scores. This is no way to measure the effectiveness of an educator. Further there are too many factors beyond our control which impact how well some students perform on standardized tests such as poverty, exposure to violence, homelessness, hunger and other social issues beyond our control." In other words, the social responsibility of governments to contend with such problems as part of guaranteeing the right to education is to be eliminated, while teachers are to be attacked and fired.

The testing regime is also used by the U.S. federal government to brand schools as "persistently low achieving" or "failing." When this occurs, the federal government can then demand that the school be closed, or turned into a privately-run but publicly-financed charter school, or become a "turnaround" school where half the teachers are fired as the first step and some other outside agency, public or private, is brought in. Chicago has been closing large numbers of schools, especially in poorer and national minority areas, then opening private charter or other non-unionized schools.

Resistance and Organization

The teachers and CTU took their stand against these attacks and waged an important fight for their rights and the rights of all. The teachers' union is also taking steps to renew itself as a defence organization of the teachers. This included organizing efforts in every school and expanding the House of Delegates, a main governing body of the union, to include a delegate from every school. It also meant mobilizing teachers to go into the community and talk with parents and discuss concerns of parents, students and teachers and make links with community organizations. For negotiations, the bargaining committee was expanded to 50 people and included staff members. As well, during the strike demonstrations were organized downtown and work continued with parents and community organizations who joined picket lines and supported the strike.

The main result of the strike was the affirmation of the need to strengthen the organized resistance and the common work of teachers, staff, parents and all those concerned with defending the right to education. Teachers also defeated some of the main demands of Mayor Emmanuel concerning merit pay, secured 600 additional positions, most in art, music and physical education and blocked efforts to further limit issues teachers can bargain on, such as staffing, subcontracting, length of day, assessment polices, etc. The evaluation system is being put in place but so far, instead of testing accounting for 50 per cent, actual evaluation of teacher practice will account for 70 per cent.

"As teachers head back to school, a problem to contend with will be efforts by the Mayor to close more schools as a means to undermine the union and further attack the right to education," the newspaper Voice of Revolution (VOR) produced by the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization, points out. "As well, the evaluation system remains a weapon in the hands of the Mayor. No doubt teachers and parents together will continue their fight to defend the right to education," VOR concludes.

Eliminate Poverty by Defending the Rights of All

The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario was supposed to deliver a report this past June on suggestions for improving Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. This Commission stems from a 2008 commitment by the McGuinty government to review social assistance. This deadline was missed and the Commission now says the report may be delivered this fall.

The Commission, which was established as part of the government's much publicized "poverty reduction strategy," may be having a problem fitting into the current political agenda of the McGuinty Liberals. the review of social assistance was an initiative of the Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction set up by McGuinty in 2008 and headed by Deb Matthews, then Minister of Children and Youth Services
and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues. Matthews moved on to become the Minister of Health and is now one of the ministers spearheading $13 billion in cuts to health care, education and other social programs.

Included in these cuts are cuts to assistance given to people who can't work or who can't find work. The McGuinty government's March budget cut $30 million from the funds used to provide support to social assistance recipients during emergencies and for household start-ups. Scheduled increases in the Ontario Child Benefit were also canceled. This will take $90 million out of the pockets of over 600,000 poor families with children, including 480,000 people working in low-wage jobs.

The McGuinty Liberals try to pass themselves off as more "balanced" than the Hudak Conservatives. During his March budget speech, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan even praised himself for not "balancing the books on the backs of the poor." But facts speak and they say the Liberals and Conservatives have the same neo-liberal austerity agenda. Nine years after the end of the Harris-Eves government nothing has been done to reverse the attacks on the poor that Harris unleashed with his 22 per cent cuts to social assistance benefits.

Since 1996, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of benefits by an average of two per cent a year, a total reduction of 32 percent since the Harris cuts. The social assistance benefits received by a single person have $132 a month less purchasing power than when Harris left office.

Throughout McGuinty's years in power, poverty has increased steadily year after year. The percentage of people living in poverty has increased from 10.9 per cent in 2003 to 12.3 per cent in 2011. The number of people with family incomes that are at least 50 per cent lower than the median family income has increased by 311,000 on McGuinty's watch and now stands at 1.64 million people.

Even if the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance does eventually deliver a report, it is doubtful that it will do much to change the situation. Its mandate is based on the myth that people go on social assistance because they don't want to work. The Commission is charged with designing a system with incentives to work, that provides subsistence for benefit recipients but at a level far below the working poor. This is not sustainable. It is not acceptable. Almost half a million Ontarians work at low-wage jobs and these workers and their families are struggling to survive. Punitive measures as "incentives to work" can only drive vulnerable people in need of assistance below the minimum living standard.

The problem of poverty and the problem of people in need of social support can only be resolved by the recognition of people's rights. Every person, regardless of their situation has a right to live in dignity and security because they are human beings and the government should recognize this right.

The difficult situation of the working poor could also be addressed by government ensuring some of these workers' rights. What about the government putting an end to the bloodsucking staffing agencies that are a curse on the working poor? What about effective measures for recognizing the rights of workers in low-wage sectors to join unions and have a say in deciding their wages? Why should big retail monopolies and other low wage employers be allowed to trample on workers' freedom of association? What about the government recognizing the right of families to have access to quality low cost child care, to decent, affordable housing, to affordable transit service? A government that ensures the rights of all would go a long way toward tackling poverty.

Anti-Poverty Actions Against Cuts to Community
Start-Up and Maintenance Benefits

Anti-poverty groups throughout Ontario are organizing actions in October to oppose the McGuinty government's cuts to social assistance and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits.

The McGuinty government has announced that effective January 2013 the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) will be eliminated. This cut is part of the $13 billion in social program funding cuts announced by the government in its March budget. The government will grab $30 million from some of Ontario's poorest people through the CSUMB cuts.

CSUMB is an important benefit program that social assistance and ODSP recipients rely on in emergencies. People access CSUMB as a start-up fund when they are released from a hospital or institution, for emergency household repairs and in crisis situations. Social assistance and ODSP recipients can make use of the fund once in a two-year period. With benefit rates set at below subsistence levels, crisis is never far away for many benefit recipients. 16,000 people throughout Ontario apply for CSUMB funds every month.

The actions being organized to save the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit include rallies, marches, townhalls and walk-in clinics in several cities.

Raise the Rates Campaign

When working people, including our members employed in the broader public sector, are laid off, they must rely upon a reduced and inaccessible Employment Insurance system. This is the reality for many Canadians who, if after a few months are not able to find employment, may fall into poverty. More and more Canadians are finding themselves trying to survive on Social Assistance.

Poverty levels have grown to unprecedented levels here in Ontario and our social systems are being degraded at every level by austerity measures. As union members, we are proud in the achievements we've made in the workplace, as well as the work we do in our communities.

This is why PSAC Ontario is supporting the Raise the Rates campaign, which looks to raise the levels of income for people on Social Assistance, which includes Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), the Special Diet Allowance and Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit.

Over 850,000 people in Ontario live on social assistance and 40% of those are children. The basic amount for a single person living on welfare (Ontario Works) is $599 per month. Rates for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) have been steadily declining, as they have not kept up with inflation. The Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit, which provides vital support to 16,000 Ontarians who are moving into new housing or struggling to retain it, is being eliminated in January 2013. This is a bleak picture of how social services for our most vulnerable are being eroded or completely eliminated.

Town halls are being organized to promote the Raise the Rates campaign by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), to educate the public on the importance of this campaign. These town halls also serve as a forum to help communities organize to resist poverty and austerity. You will find a listing below of town halls planned, with more dates and locations being coordinated. All members are encouraged to attend. As poverty and inequality rise, we are all affected!

Community Town Halls

City Workers Honour TTC Worker Killed on the Job

On September 19 at 10 am hundreds of TTC workers across Toronto stopped their buses, streetcars and subway trains in honour of Peter Pavlovski who was killed on the job. Transit operators and thousands of passengers held a moment's silence for Pavlovski. At the same time, a funeral service was being held in East York attended by hundreds of family members, friends and TTC workers. The funeral service included an honour guard of TTC workers in uniform.

Peter Pavlovski, who was 49 when he died, was a 22-year veteran of the TTC working in subway maintenance. He was struck by a train while doing routine maintenance. One other TTC worker was hurt in the incident. The union representing the 9,000 TTC workers, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, is investigating the cause of the death and injury as are investigators from the TTC and the Ministry of Labour

During the memorial for Peter Pavlovski, TTC workers also reflected on other deaths of TTC workers in recent years. In 2007 Tony Almeida was killed on the job, also in a subway incident. Jimmy Trajceski was killed during a robbery at Victoria Park Station in 1995. In a 2007 incident eight TTC maintenance workers narrowly escaped death from carbon monoxide poisoning in a subway tunnel.

Death of Gas Station Attendant Underscores Need to Renew the Economy and Society

A private member's bill was introduced in the Ontario Legislature on September 20 by Liberal MPP Mike Colle that would make it mandatory to prepay at gas stations. The announcement came just days after a gas station attendant was killed while trying to stop someone from what is referred to as "gas-and-dash." There are reports of gas station owners threatening to fire workers if they do not pay for stolen gas out of their own pockets. The bill calls for stiff penalties for gas station owners who force attendants to pay for stolen gas.

How should workers and people in their communities look at this incident? What needs to be discussed? How can this situation and others in society be resolved in a way that best serves the interests of those who encounter them on a daily basis?

Like many other jobs in the economy today, the work of gas station attendants is very precarious. It is a low paying job with little to no benefits. Having to pay out of their own pocket in some cases and the fear of losing their job adds to the precariousness of their work. They have literally been put in a life or death situation. They are part of the marginalized workforce that is growing based on the individual and private interests in the economy that demand a "flexible" workforce.

Workers that handle money in similar types of jobs, such as in convenience stores, also experience the fear of making sure their tills balance at the end of their shift. And as with much precarious work, marginalized workers such as the working poor, youth and immigrants are susceptible. Migrant workers face threats of being fired or even having their work permits revoked if they speak out about their conditions. Many other workers face an economy that does not guarantee them a job or a job that is adequate based on the requirements to live a dignified life. It points to the organization of the economy that needs to be renewed. It calls for work and its conditions in all sectors of the economy to be renewed with guarantees put in place for workers, their families and communities.

Such a new direction for the economy will only come about through the organization of workers and people because it is in their direct interests to do so. Workers and people cannot rely on old dogmatic renderings such as trying to hold private interests accountable to the public interest nor can they depend on bills being passed in the Legislature which has shown itself to be in contempt of the public good. The bill, if passed, would still require workers to disclose information which would still expose them to repercussions.

The renewal of the economy that puts workers into positions of authority is critical if their interests and those of society are to come into harmony. Only through this kind of renewal where workers can discuss among themselves how to best organize their work and lives can serious solutions be developed.

Workers and people must also resist the attempt, especially by the monopoly media, to make criminality the issue. The deterioration of the economy and society is contributing to direct consequences in the communities for workers and people. As more and more economic and social decay takes place in the form of loss of jobs and higher costs of living, individuals are forced to fend for themselves. Once again, workers and people must seriously look at how to take the building of a new society into their own hands. Not only is it possible, it must be done.

Overwhelming Strike Mandates Show Rejection of Government Dictate

Overwhelming Strike Mandates Show Rejection of Government Dictate

ETFO Strike Votes

OSSTF Strike Votes

Students in Forefront of Opposition to Attacks on Teachers and Education Workers

Student Rallies and Walkouts

Student Petitions

Teachers and Education Workers in Action

Sudbury Teachers Challenge Legitimacy of Government "Roadmap for Education"

Ottawa Rally to Support Teachers and
Education Workers

Chicago Teachers' Militant Defence of
Right to Education

Obama's "Race to the Top"

Teacher Evaluation, Test Scores and Charter Schools

Resistance and Organization

Eliminate Poverty by Defending the Rights of All

Anti-Poverty Actions Against Cuts to Community
Start-Up and Maintenance Benefits

Raise the Rates Campaign

Community Town Halls

City Workers Honour TTC Worker Killed on the Job

Death of Gas Station Attendant Underscores Need to Renew the Economy and Society

A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos

Overwhelming Strike Mandates Show Rejection of Government Dictate

Overwhelming Strike Mandates Show Rejection of Government Dictate

ETFO Strike Votes

OSSTF Strike Votes

Students in Forefront of Opposition to Attacks on Teachers and Education Workers

Student Rallies and Walkouts

Student Petitions

Teachers and Education Workers in Action

Sudbury Teachers Challenge Legitimacy of Government "Roadmap for Education"

Ottawa Rally to Support Teachers and Education Workers

Chicago Teachers' Militant Defence of Right to Education

Obama's "Race to the Top"

Teacher Evaluation, Test Scores and Charter Schools

Resistance and Organization

Eliminate Poverty by Defending the Rights of All

Anti-Poverty Actions Against Cuts to Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefits

Raise the Rates Campaign

Community Town Halls

City Workers Honour TTC Worker Killed on the Job

Death of Gas Station Attendant Underscores Need to Renew the Economy and Society

A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos

Ottawa Rally to Support Teachers and
Education Workers

Chicago Teachers' Militant Defence of
Right to Education

Anti-Poverty Actions Against Cuts to Community
Start-Up and Maintenance Benefits